


Case File: Mental Shutdowns

by draculaur_ia



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Attempt at Humor, Co-workers, Daddy Issues, Everyone Needs Therapy, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Friends to Lovers, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Sexual Assault, Persona 5 Spoilers, Reader-Insert, Slow Burn, Unreliable Narrator, everyone has daddy issues that's it that's the whole fic, making up things that aren't clarified in canon, quirky reader, unreliable narrators are my favorite thing to exist
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-19
Updated: 2021-02-20
Packaged: 2021-03-08 23:27:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 29,473
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27104950
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/draculaur_ia/pseuds/draculaur_ia
Summary: “It must be difficult to work on the mental shutdown cases.” Well, yes, but that doesn’t mean there wasn’t just as much chaos in the workplace as there was solemnity. A collection of oneshots of your experiences working with Akechi Goro and Niijima Sae on the psychotic breakdown incidents.
Relationships: Akechi Goro/Reader, Akechi Goro/You
Comments: 67
Kudos: 103





	1. An Addition to Forensics

**Author's Note:**

> hello! a few things before getting started :3
> 
> 1\. the first few chapters are going to be chronological, but, after that, they’re in no particular order ^-^ these are just little plot dumps
> 
> 2\. i would go ahead and recommend that you finish at least vanilla p5 before reading this– stuff will make more sense if you have. i’ll add a note each chapter for what time in the game it takes place as spoiler warnings (& also so these dumb chapters make more sense). no major royal spoilers planned as of right now :)
> 
> 3\. most importantly, acab!! i am black (well, mixed) so i really support the BLM movement. it honestly Hurts me to write some of these chapters bc my acab instincts are like:: :}? please understand i may write scenes “in favor of the police” but it’s just to write from reader’s perspective, i do not support the police :3 kinda wanted to say that just in case someone misinterprets this fic
> 
> without further ado,

**Date: September 2015**

He didn’t know what to expect when Niijima-san said someone was joining the forensics unit, but it definitely wasn’t a girl, his age, who had already managed to turn her office into a mess after three hours of being there.

Akechi and Niijima peeked into the newly occupied office across the hall from their own. You stood there in your disheveled glory, rambling to the barely-present SIU Director as you organized your desk. And Akechi had the curiosity: this girl was the new addition to forensics?

“Ah, you’re here,” the director looked more than relieved to see them standing in the doorway, the dreaded look of wishing he wasn’t alive completely vanished. “(L/N)-san, these are the coworkers I had mentioned. Niijima Sae and Akechi Goro.”

Your head snapped up to Niijima and Akechi, who had begun to step inside. There was a certain fascination in your eyes that Akechi noticed, something that reminded him of a child – especially with the smile you paired with it. “Oh!” You turned to face them both, giving a small respectful bow. “I’m (L/N) (F/N).”

“It’s nice to meet you,” Niijima gave a nod of acknowledgment, and Akechi forced up a small smile. 

“She’ll be working with the forensic technicians,” the SIU Director explained, hands intertwined and voice laced with exhaustion. So Niijima wasn’t lying… “I hope you are able to work well with one another.” He took the opening as a sign to flee, speed-walking to the door, “I have to get going – I ask that you help her get used to the adjustments.” And he was gone. 

You all blinked at the empty door, the short silence only interrupted by you laughing nervously. 

“I think he hates me already,” you said, but you didn’t seem offended by the fact. You were gripping both of your elbows behind your back, tapping at the floor with your shoe.

“Don’t take it personally,” Niijima made an effort, though Akechi had to admit it was probably the nicest he’d ever seen her. “It’s good to know you’ll be joining us. Do you need help with anything?”

“No, thanks, I’m fine,” you answered, the smile still steady on your face. “And I hope I’ll be able to help.”

Niijima mentioned connecting your laptop to the unit’s applications and programs and you let her mess with the device, opening the opportunity for you to turn to Akechi and say, “I’ve heard a lot about you.”

Akechi blinked as you made eye contact, and he almost forgot the career he had recently committed a fake life to. “Is that so?” 

“Yep, one of the youngest detectives in the world,” you glanced at Niijima when she huffed about not remembering the WiFi password, but quickly returned your attention to him. “It’s hard to _not_ hear about you at the other departments… But it’s impressive; detective work is hard.”

Akechi forced a small laugh, unsure where you were going with this conversation; was your ulterior motive coming to light already? But you didn’t seem disingenuous. “Well, thank you.” No harm in feeding the alligator and seeing what it would spit back out. “Though, I’m sure forensic work is just as tedious.”

You shrugged, grinning. “I guess, but it’s more fun. I’m not really taken seriously because of my age, so that kind of ruins it, but… still fun.”

There wasn’t a better timing to ask. “How old are you?” Akechi questioned.

You smiled. “Sixteen.”

Wow. “Ah, so you’re a year younger than me.” And he thought _he_ was young. 

“Looks like it’s just us two against these adults, huh?” Your teeth shone a bit with remnants of a laugh, “We need to have each other’s backs.”

Akechi just opened his mouth when Niijima beat him to the punch. “Okay, that should be it,” Niijima professionally stood back up as if she hadn’t been glaring at your laptop for the past three minutes. “I left the WiFi information on your desk, just in case. Let me know if anything else comes up.”

You nodded. “Will do.”

“And please–” Niijima’s nose scrunched as she started toward the door. “No scheming – just because you’re young doesn’t mean you’ll be let off the hook easily. We don’t mess around here.”

A smile twitched at your lips, but you still said, “Yes, I understand – I’ll make sure I don’t make the director hate me and kick me out within two weeks.”

Niijima seemed content with your answer – or either she didn’t care enough to correct you – because she changed the topic to explain, “We’ll probably have you on a case tomorrow. A woman was found in her house with a presumed death from heart failure, but the autopsy and testing results are pointing to a different cause.”

You grinned again, your eyes lighting up this time. “Oooh, sweet! I mean– not sweet for the lady, but– my first case here.”

“Just be here and ready tomorrow,” Niijima said with an amused raise of her brow, and Akechi could already tell you were going to receive Niijima’s rare soft spot because, if he had said that same thing, he would have received a ten-minute lecture about upholding the justice system. Maybe it was beginner’s luck. 

She left when you both nodded. Right before Akechi could leave, you spoke again. 

“You have nice hair, by the way, Akechi-kun,” you hummed, and, when he turned around, you were already separating some files, not even looking at him. 

“Uh–” He winced, swiftly finding his _presentable_ mask and slipping it back on. “Thank you, it seems to fight against me every day. I have to get going– I believe I’ll see you soon?”

“As soon as I sort this stuff out,” you sighed with a forlorn glance over your desk.

He was livid by the time he was back in his own office, but his refusal to show any negative emotion at work left him with just a distant irritation. You seemed friendly enough, and you didn’t appear to have a covert goal with the department, but that somehow angered him more than if you had just schmoozed your way into the job.

Akechi couldn’t help a small slash of envy. He’d done so much to procure a positive image, create a personality just between charming and professional, in order to even _get_ his job, and you were able to mosey your way into forensics – of all things – while seeming as _dull_ and _unaware_ as the typical class clown. Akechi was– no, he was _disgusted_ that it was so easy for you, while he was left to operate to everyone’s standard. Did they make a mistake? Were you another coincidental Shido Pawn, who also used the metaverse and blackmailed the SIU Director into working here?

Especially with the director’s obvious distaste for you, Akechi assumed you weren’t going to keep the job for long.

At least, that’s what he thought until you were examining the victim’s body in the lab the next day.

It was an elderly woman, white hair barely noticeable over the ashen color of her skin and obvious incisions from examinations where her heart was.

“When was the time of death?” you asked another technician, not hesitating in approaching the operating table.

The technician glanced at his notes, clad in a hazmat suit. “September 6, 2:56 P.M.”

“Oooh, if only the numbers were switched.” You cleared your throat when the man gave you a look, continuing, “Makes sense that it’s been four days; there’s blistering on the skin. Cause of death?”

“Reports of sudden cardiac death, with an undiagnosed heart failure condition. But there’s too little stress on the heart, and the arteries are not…”

Akechi watched you inspect the woman’s body, eventually accepting a hazmat suit from another scientist and slipping into it as if you had many times before. You must have, because pulling out the tools from a drawer under the tabletop appeared natural for you, too. He and Niijima exchanged a glance that indicated an equal amount of surprise; this wasn’t what she was expecting, either. 

You turned to them, a confident look in your eye. “I should have the results back to you by tomorrow. Maybe later today, at the earliest,” you explained, adjusting the plastic suit and gloves. 

Niijima nodded before Akechi could even process any of this, responding, “I appreciate it.”

The detective looked back at you on his way out, but you had already begun assisting a technician in carefully digging into the corpse while another took notes.

* * *

Sure enough, you turned the examination results in to Niijima the next morning; there was an alternate cause of death, and the presumed heart failure opened back up as a murder case. 

Akechi rarely heard from you throughout the case except for information check-ins and exchanges, though he assumed it was because you were constantly asked to help in the lab. He simply hoped you would be worth adding to this case – and to the department at all. The last thing he needed was someone dragging him down.

The people in forensics and other detectives had examined the scene, but no additional evidence was found. If they didn’t move quickly, they would find themselves at a standstill, or, worse: another department would take over the case. It had only been about a week, but the tension was rising for a unit that prided itself on fast, effective handlings. The solution couldn’t have been too intricate, right?

That Thursday, you approached Akechi again.

He heard you before he saw you, footsteps practically sprinting into his office. 

You swung around the corner past the door frame, only slowing once you neared Akechi’s desk. Before he could even wince and ask what the hell was the reason, you stopped beside him with a folder in your hands.

“I just got something huge,” you started, and dropped one of the documents in front of him. “There was some fresher DNA on the wall of the victim’s house, in the room she was found dead; it belongs to a man named Yagi Masuyo. It might not mean anything, but it’s a start since there are no traces of him anywhere else in the house. He was probably trying to hide it.”

Akechi’s eyes widened; he picked up the paper and read it over, confirming your claim – they might have just found a suspect. “This is…”

“I can’t do much with the information, so it’s up to you, detective,” you flashed him a thumbs-up, opening the file in your hands. “Let me check if there’s anything else that’ll help.” 

While you fingered through the papers and Akechi began searching the man’s name, he mumbled, “He hasn’t been through the system before, it seems. Do you suppose he’s a relative of the victim like the detectives suggested?”

“Probably not; his DNA didn’t resemble anyone’s that we’ve found already, and they don’t have the same family name,” you replied. “But there were no signs of anyone breaking in – they must have been familiar, at least.” Your eyes lit up, and you carefully plucked a document from the center of the stack. “Ooh– this is the report from the neighbors the day of the murder; we should send someone back to ask if Yagi looks like the man they described.”

Akechi thanked you as you placed the form in his hand, reading it over. After a moment, he asked, “How did you find all of this?”

“I went back to the site; I had a breakthrough over my bowl of Lucky Charms a few days ago,” you laughed nervously, intertwining your own fingers together. “I found the DNA on the wall, realized it was different from the other samples, and got it tested… I hope this actually means something. I’m gonna feel stupid if it doesn’t.” You looked down at him with expectant but thrilled eyes. “I don’t have access to your detective files, so… you handle the searching and reporting with police, and I get some people to interrogate the relatives and neighbors again?”

“That…” Akechi’s mind flashed over the surprise he was experiencing once more before he found a part of himself to smile up at you. “That should work.”

* * *

You both stuck to your word and managed to organize your collective evidence into the form of presentable files. The witnesses’ observations matched up and the pieces slowly fell into place; you two were positive you had found your culprit.

The trial date had arrived, and Niijima was up to the prosecutor’s pedestal. 

You and Akechi were required to attend, though you weren’t asked to testify – your new colleagues in forensics handled the exhibits of proof. You likely weren’t trusted to speak in front of a judge yet, which was fair. 

The suspect was luckily found guilty and sentenced to life in prison. Everyone began dispersing and erupting into rare whispers as the trial was dismissed, and Niijima closed her briefcase with prided satisfaction.

“Haha,” you stood up, snorting, while you watched police officers pull Yagi away and vanish down the corridor. Akechi heard your footsteps pause beside him as he gathered his belongings, and you spoke softly due to the lingering quiet in the room. “Thanks for checking his background stuff for me, by the way. You did great.”

Akechi found some part of him to smile lightly, files clumped in his arm. “I should be thanking you for finding his DNA. Being a rookie detective sometimes poses a problem; we wouldn’t have found the evidence without you.” A grin lit up your face, and Akechi was quick to tell: you enjoyed being praised for your work. He’d have to keep that in mind.

“Glad to see you two are working well together,” Niijima stopped next to you both, interrupting your chance to respond. “It almost was looking like a dead-end. Our prediction was correct that the culprit was close with the victim; it’s shameful he felt the need to kill her for being in a relationship with someone other than him. I’m relieved that you are capable of helping us and living up to your job title, (L/N).”

You began swaying a bit, not out of dizziness but more of a casual fidget, it seemed. “Well, I don’t know why I would take the job if I didn’t have the experience for it. I don’t hate myself _that_ much,” you said, and Akechi’s smile turned a bit more timorous. Right…

“Hopefully not – lying about your experience would be a reason for arrest,” Niijima moved some hair from her face, neither girls noticing Akechi’s small chuckle. _Right_ … “I’d say this is a successful first case for you. Good work.” Niijima walked off after that, disappearing out the courtroom door, and you and Akechi remained. 

“Enjoy the compliment from her; it’s one of the last times you’ll receive one,” Akechi warned, finally finding a safe position to carry the haphazard papers. 

You made a small hum, staring after Niijima’s trail. “Good to know. Won’t be the first time I’ll be invalidated.” 

Your eyes flicked down to the files in his arm, but you didn’t comment when Akechi tried his best to bring the conversation to a close, “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

You still smiled, airy and very misleading of the abilities you’d proven in the past few days. “Yep!” When Akechi turned toward the door, you suggested, “You know; you should get a briefcase.” He blinked, looking back to see you smiling at him. “It’s easier to carry papers and stuff.”

You skipped off, your papers few enough in number that you could hold them in a file pocket in your right hand. Akechi stared after you, his face finally settling into something neutral with the knowledge no one was staring at him.

A briefcase… hmm.


	2. A Taxi Driver

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You have never heard the words "psychotic breakdown" until today.

**Date: October 2015**

“(L/N)-san,” Akechi stopped you in the corridor. “Did Sae-san check in with you?”

You adjusted your grip on the files you were carrying, the ones another detective had graciously piled onto you before running off. “No, I haven’t seen her today– Why?”

Akechi eased his footing a bit, glancing at your stack of papers. “She said she had a report for me, but I don’t know where she is. I figured you knew.” There was a bit of comfort whenever you talked to Akechi at work, mostly from your coinciding age – regardless of how little you had actually spoken in the past month and the fact that you were convinced he hated you. He was friendly – anything _but_ rude, really – but forced cordiality seemed more natural to him than being natural, itself. You quickly realized it wasn’t just you that he spoke like that with, but it still made you feel as if you were bothering him whenever you did talk. It still felt better than conversing with a middle-aged lawful traditionalist, something you had gotten used to in your field, so you would take it.

“No–” You yelped as a document began to shift on the top, seconds from falling, and moved your thumb up to hold it in place. It was about as useful as plugging a dam with an unshapely boulder, helpful for now but inevitable to crash and burn. “I guess that comes with being the literal face of the justice system.” 

Your flimsy attempt of a dam failed and the paper slipped to the floor, and Akechi was already bending down to pick it up. As he glanced over it, he began to return it to you but stopped. “Hmm, I actually need this,” he commented, eyeing the stack again. “Who is… all of this meant for?” 

Your eyebrows twinged with exhaustion, looking downward. “I don’t know – Takai-san just dumped them on me and said to give them to the other detective-”

“And he made _you_ do that?” Akechi questioned, and you were relieved to know you weren’t crazy in thinking it was weird. He held the file in one hand, “He couldn’t have done it, himself?”

“I guess not. I’ve been the errand person for a while; it’s fine.” Until you proved your worth, you were going to be a lapdog for the higher-ups. It wasn’t like you weren’t used to it… but you had hoped it would stop after working with this unit for over a month.

“Well, I’m sorry to say I don’t think I can take these off your hands,” Akechi smiled hesitantly at you. There was something about many of his smiles that rubbed you the wrong way, how they wavered as soon as people looked away or how the rest of his face would stay stationary. You never said anything. “Try Mura-san– this looks like his specialization. And thank you – I’ll try to look for Sae-san.”

That was the moment Niijima sped into the hallway you were conversing in, a few officers and a detective rushing behind her. You just barely stepped out of the way of the prosecutor’s bulldozing before the small group was rushing past.

“Niijima-san–?” you began, but she gave you and Akechi a quick irritated look.

“Come on, we have a case,” she said, and it was instinct for you both to follow her nimbly. 

“What’s going on?” you asked once you two had caught up to her, joining her small following. You dumped the stack of papers onto an empty table you saw on the way out; you’d figure it out later.

“Psychotic breakdown,” Niijima hissed without looking back, though you could tell her anger wasn’t directed at you. “These shutdowns are turning into a common occurrence. What on earth is going on?”

“‘Psychotic breakdown’?” you repeated. “Is that code for someone threw another snake out of the Apple building window?”

“No,” the prosecutor replied. You all followed her to the elevator, squeezing into the echoey chamber. “There’s been a recent phenomenon of people losing control over themselves. It’s like they go completely brain-dead, and then they can’t even remember afterward.”

You had never heard of this; you didn’t even think that was physically possible. But then again, psychology wasn’t your specialty. “Is it a symptom? DID or something?”

The elevator opened and your Niijima-led group traveled to the front of the building, where two police cars were already waiting. It was a pleasant autumnal temperature and the sun was out, clashing with the sudden news you had to check on. “We don’t know. The victims seem mentally sound before their breakdowns, but their brain scans show extreme stress afterward.”

“There have been quite a few breakdowns in the past year, am I correct?” Akechi asked as he slipped into the backseat beside you. Niijima nodded, giving the location to the officer driving the car. 

“Yes. The other victims were bus and train drivers, and this one was a taxi driver. He unexpectedly drove into oncoming traffic.”

You winced, and Akechi contributed, “There’s a strange correlation with public transportation and the breakdowns.”

“Indeed. If only we could find a cause…” Niijima drifted off, but the evidence was fairly clear to you; essential workers were driven down to the bone, and with little pay, at that. Assuming the breakdowns were involuntary, you couldn’t say you didn’t understand. 

“It’s because of working conditions, right?” you braved to ask – the only reason you’d gotten this far was because you voiced your dumb ideas and they ended up being helpful; you weren’t going to give up now. “Society isn’t really forgiving for essential workers.”

Niijima stared out the windshield for a second of tense silence – before her face turned grim. “You may be right. But we don’t have evidence of any changes in wage or work hours in the past ten years.”

“That doesn’t mean they won’t react badly to the workload,” you said. You ignored the way Akechi’s typically intense stare burned into the side of your face; were you not supposed to be saying this? Oh, god, you should shut up now– “Maybe we can look into their salaries and working conditions?”

Niijima nodded, only sparing a glance back at you. “We should.” 

The scene was chaotic, to say the least, paramedics and officers hustling around one another while forensics surveyed the location of the crash. You winced at the nasty collision between the taxi and two cars, and the ambulance just beginning to vanish in the distance. You thought of the victims’ families, the fact their lives were most likely ruined now. 

You let out a quiet sigh, glancing back to the fellow technicians examining the cars. You had to get to work.

After receiving an overview of the damages and events – the taxi swerved into the other side of the street and crashed into a car, and the vehicle behind didn’t brake quickly enough and bent the other car’s trunk; there were no casualties but everyone was injured – you were officially invited to help with the case. You saw detectives and officers talking to witnesses that were still on the scene, but you and forensics were left to take notes on the taxi’s compartments. The prediction that the driver was on drugs was swiftly debunked, as there was no evidence of substances in the vehicle or after his hospitalization. You learned that neither of the other breakdown victims had been under the influence, either; something that baffled investigators. 

Your attention drifted at one point, and you noticed Akechi talking to an older detective who served as his superior. Akechi was pretty – one had to be blind to think otherwise – and he had trained charms, but it didn’t seem to be enough for most people. You watched the coworker listen to his deductions with a deadpanned look on his face, and even Akechi’s now-normal forced smile wasn’t enough to save him from receiving a terse, unwelcoming response. 

It looked like he had a rough time here, as well. 

You had no doubt it was an age thing. Most people wouldn’t be happy to know that they went through years of schooling and preparation to even be considered for their positions in the department, just for two kids to slip in like it was nothing. 

But you couldn’t help a cringe of second-hand embarrassment, and you pondered– 

Did no one else notice? Akechi smiled again and you wondered how the hell, in a literal law enforcement building with detectives and specialists in body language analysis, no one could tell he was faking it by now. You looked away before he could catch you staring, luckily a leeway into answering a colleague’s question to appear distracted.

Within a few minutes, you needed to check in with a detective. You kept an eye out for when any of the detectives were unoccupied, but it was nearly impossible; they were constantly slipping between witnesses and other cops every time you even took a step toward them. On top of that, you had completely lost track of Niijima. She technically wasn’t required to arrive on crime scenes, though, so maybe that wasn’t weird. 

You sighed in relief when you looked away from an officer you were explaining details to and saw Akechi _alone_ , organizing files on the hood of a police car. You excused yourself and slipped over, flipping your notebook to a new page. 

He glanced up at you from the papers – you preferred it when he was focused during crime scenes because it was the one moment he didn’t act like he was being held at gunpoint to smile on national television. “Hello, (L/N)-san.”

“Hi, I just needed to get details from detectives– on the victims and stuff. And any findings.” 

“Of course.” He gently slid a gray briefcase closer to him so he could unlock the hatches and search for something. You eyed it for a moment before your face softened with emotional pride.

“You got a briefcase,” you pointed out, as if he were your child and just got the head position on the school debate team or something. He actually listened to you? And you thought he hated your guts. Maybe he still did.

Akechi blinked, looking at you before looking back down at the case, and then smiled. This one was less fake, mostly because it was small. “Oh, yes – I realized your suggestion would be helpful. I have to thank you.”

You giggled, trying not to pay attention to the way his eyes trailed over your face. Akechi may have been good-looking and had buckets full of charm at the ready, but he had just as many awkward social habits as anyone else. “I’m glad it helps. If only the rest of the department listened to me that much. Anyway–” You nudged some hair out of your face so you could unclip your pen from your small notebook. “Anything worth noting?”

“The breakdown victim was forty and does not have any history of medical problems or substance abuse, which adds more mystery to his sudden actions.” Akechi found the paper he was searching for; a vague background check of the victim until they received a more thorough one in the next few days. “He doesn’t appear to have a criminal history, either. The last person to have a breakdown had evidence of substance abuse, as well as a criminal record; yet another inconsistency. I managed to talk to the taxi passenger, and he said the driver appeared ‘tired and quiet,’ I believe.”

“Hmm…” You accepted the file from him, glancing over it before slipping it between two pages of your notebook. “Does anyone have any ideas about a cause?”

“No, unfortunately,” Akechi sighed. “Just predictions about mental health, and also the harsh working conditions you mentioned.” 

“That sucks.” You frowned. “I guess no better time than the present to figure it out,” you tried to stay optimistic, your attention wavering to a witness that a detective was currently conciliating. Your shoulders drooped at the thought of the victims getting treated at the hospital; this was awful and shouldn’t have happened. 

“Your motivation is encouraging – perhaps our coworkers can learn from your example.” He smiled, and you just stared at him. A tense moment passed, Akechi’s already tight smile wavering a bit as you both stared at each other silently. “...Is something wrong?” he asked after he probably had his fill of you watching him like a cat seeing a Great Dane loose from its leash. Oops. You shook your head, not even realizing you were staring for so long. 

“Oh– sorry, I–” You shook your head again, forcing up a weary smile. What was up with him? Actually, what was up with _you_? “It’s nothing. Did you say you talked to the passenger in the taxi?”

The awkwardness of the previous interaction was gone, and Akechi dropped his smile and continued, “Yes, he claimed the driver was exhausted and barely responsive. So there was clearly a build-up, and it didn’t happen too abruptly.”

“Thank you, you should probably bring this to the psychologists. Wherever they are.” You tapped your foot against the cemented sidewalk, a mindless tick that calmed you even the slightest. “You really have to fend for yourself here; I have no clue where anyone is.”

“Especially being new, you have to go out of your way for a lot,” he said, and your face lit up with the feeling of finally being understood. You grinned, clutching your notebook with both hands. 

“I thought that was just me being dumb and not able to find connections… that makes me feel better,” you laughed again. 

“I suppose we’re both carrying the same burdens, then,” a playfulness lit in Akechi’s eyes that you hadn’t seen before, and you desperately wanted to cling to it, cling to any sign of emotion other than his dumb fake smile.

* * *

The next day wasn’t much better, and you struggled to keep up with the sudden hustle of the department following this mysterious accident. You managed to catch a break at lunch, and your legs and brain thanked you for not having to run for just a few moments. You had permission to leave work during your lunch breaks – benefits of living a five-minute walk away and having a dog you needed to check on – and you took full advantage of it. Nothing was more relieving than actually seeing the sky after filing DNA samples all day.

You were just grabbing your tote bag and keys to slip out, looking at social media updates while locking your office door, when Akechi stopped you.

“(L/N)-san,” you paused in the hallway when he called you, turning around to face him. “Did the reports come in, by any chance?”

“I don’t think so,” you shook your head. “They’re not supposed to be done until tomorrow, but I haven’t checked since this morning.” 

“Do you mind checking for me?” Akechi asked, and you winced, gritting your teeth nervously.

“I’m sorry, I have to stop by my apartment really quick– I’ll probably be back in about ten minutes.”

One of Akechi’s eyebrows raised, laced with confusion. “Is that where you go every day at lunch?”

“Ooh, you really are a detective,” you mused, the straps of your shoulder bag bouncing in your hand. You gestured vaguely in the direction of your house. “But yep, I live, like, down the street, so I make sure my dog’s okay during my lunch break.”

“Is that allowed?” he questioned, though you could tell he didn’t have the intention of snitching. 

“I don’t know, but Niijima-san lets me.” You tilted toward your destination, only keeping eye contact with Akechi by the turn of your head. “I’ll be back in a few minutes. I’ll try to check for the reports.” 

The nice chill to the air remained from yesterday, as did the sun, so you smiled with a hum as you pulled your thick cardigan closer to you; sweater weather was your favorite. Your dog, Nao, was happy to see you, and you felt horrible to leave him after dropping some food into his bowl. Your conception of time was right for one of the few occurrences in your life and you returned to the department within fifteen minutes. Okay, time to check the lab… 

You were flushed with relief when a technician was able to give you a written analysis of items found in the taxi, thanking him before slipping away to your office again. It had barely been fifteen minutes before Akechi was peeking in your doorway to ask again; Akechi being adamant, as usual.

“Here they are,” you used one hand to give him the files and the other to hold the fruit cup you were eating. 

As he thanked you, he peered at the small cup and then at the snacks littered on your desk beside your laptop. “You have quite the snack collection in here.”

You glanced behind you before remembering you had to finish sending an email. You turned back to your computer, typing with one hand. “Yep! You can take something if you want.” 

Akechi blinked, eyes falling to a bottle of strawberry milk on your right. “Where did you even get milk from?”

“I have a mini-fridge,” you answered with a bitten down grin, glancing up to see Akechi turn a deadpan stare at the small fridge in the corner of your office, papers stacked on top of it.

“…How?” 

“I have connections. And also a strong friend in forensics,” you stood up straight once you clicked Send, tossing the empty fruit cup into your small trash can. 

“That is… interesting.” Akechi turned his attention back to you, and there was a small hesitance before he spoke again. “Earlier, you said you check on your dog–” he began; you didn’t expect him to stick on the topic, but you likely cut his scripted, nosy detective questions short earlier. “Does anyone else live with you to take care of him?”

“Uh– no–” You then squeaked, “ _But don’t call protective services on me or anything–!_ I’m fine; and I don’t have any relatives to take me in, anyway. Plus I took my dog with me because my dad was neglecting him– and this is completely oversharing, I am reminding myself I have only known you for a month and I will be shutting up now.” 

Akechi, surprisingly, didn’t seem shocked like the few other people you had explained your home situation to – only mildly intrigued. “I‘m sorry for asking if it’s a sensitive topic. I had been wondering if you adopted the dog, yourself.”

“Nah… I wouldn’t have the money to.” The flashing red signals were finally going off in your brain, reminding you that you definitely shouldn’t be having this conversation with your coworker, whom you’d only met last month– “He’s healthy again, though, which is all I care about. He’s a Saint Bernard; big guy. He needs a lot of attention.”

“I see,” Akechi replied, and you could tell he was about to dig deeper into your personal life, but Niijima slipped in.

“(L/N),” she stayed in the doorway, bag on her shoulder, “I need your assistance with something.”

“Mm-hmm,” you said while opening another fruit cup. “I’m listening.”

Sae’s nostrils scrunched, hand frozen in the air mid-gesture, but continued despite her obvious distaste, “I need to have a look at the forensic test results in the lab if you don’t mind.”

“Oh, yeah, sure– we can go now,” you said, snatching up a folder of documents from your desk on your way out. Sae followed suit with a dubious eye on the fruit cup you still kept balanced in your other hand. 

Goro glanced at the two of you before looking back at a packaged snack you had left in your wake. He started to reach for it, just for Sae’s voice to echo from down the hall like some kind of god reminding him to do a good deed, “Akechi, you come, too.” So he sighed and continued after the two girls.

* * *

“Okay, if I remember right, there was more activity in the amygdala when he was first put in the hospital.” You approached a technician who was active in the case, Akechi and Niijima trailing after you. “That means emotions were way up– but no one knows what caused a sudden increase like that.”

“Such stress would have had signs for weeks or even months prior to this breakdown,” the technician added, quoting the psychologist who had visited earlier. 

“Either way, he’s getting questioned with a charge of reckless driving and damage to city-owned vehicles,” Akechi pointed out. “A cause isn’t going to help his sentence much, considering the past two victims showed no signs of mental instability.”

“It could get him placed in a hospital instead of a prison facility,” you piped in. “I’d say that’s a big difference.”

Akechi stared at you for a brief moment, but just opened his mouth to argue when the queen of cutting Akechi off today jumped in, “What were the items found in his car?”

Your coworker in forensics went on to describe the victim’s most important belongings, such as his keys, wallet, and work schedule – which showed long 10-hour shifts. “The only confirmed cause we can think of would be extreme stress, whatever the origin of that was,” he finished. “He doesn’t show symptoms of any listed disorder.”

“Then the hospitalization idea might be best,” you agreed, rocking on the balls of your feet.

“That’s unnecessary,” Niijima stated and placed a hand on her hip. “He’s a criminal regardless of the intent; he deserves to get the full sentence.”

“That’s not _doing_ anything, though,” you frowned. “Throwing all these people in a room for a few years doesn’t reform them; in this case, especially.”

“It isn’t much about reforming the criminals as it is keeping the public safe,” Niijima persisted, eyebrows lowered.

“The psychologists agreed with the idea of hospitalization, at least for some time,” you were beyond thankful to hear your coworker jump to your defense. “It seems to be a majority agreement. Especially because it would be easier to keep track of the victim’s behavior.”

Niijima didn’t look eager to surrender, but her lip irked as she murmured, “I suppose the scientists have the upper hand in this decision.”

“I’d have to agree,” Akechi said, despite seeming to oppose you just a few moments ago. “It would create good reference material if another breakdown happens in the future. Should the other two breakdown victims also be hospitalized?”

“You might be correct,” Niijima said, accepting her argumental loss. “Maybe they can all be placed under hospital supervision.”

The technician nodded, clipboard in his hand. “Then it’s settled. I’ll bring this to the judge on the day of the trial.”

* * *

“Any luck?” Akechi asked, unsure by the neutral look on Niijima’s face.

“I was placed in charge of the case–” she began, squeezing the strap of her bag “–and the director encouraged the idea, however, everyone else seems undecided. They don’t seem to take these breakdowns as serious events.” She sighed, genuine distress painting her face. “It will be difficult to keep the status open. But there’s just no way these aren’t connected or the slightest bit suspicious.”

“I’m sure you are capable of it with your skill,” Akechi contributed. “They should know it is better to be safe than sorry, after all; if the breakdowns are not as supernatural as they seem, then we can just close the case.”

“I suppose you’re right,” Niijima said, but the doubtful murmuring of her voice betrayed it. Neither of them noticed you walking past in a hallway perpendicular to them because you were going home late, and you listened in for a moment – mostly because Niijima actually appearing sorrowful was unusual and intriguing – before approaching. 

“What’s going on?” you asked, and they both looked up at you as if you weren’t supposed to be there. It wouldn’t have been the first time. You managed to always be in the right place at the wrong time.

They hesitated, but Niijima was the one to turn to you and speak up, “A case has been started to specifically investigate the psychotic breakdown incidents, but the department does not seem eager to support it.”

“That simply means we have to work harder to get more support,” Akechi countered. “It’s not impossible.”

“Yes, but…” Niijima took a deep breath, “it’s very risky. We could have the case swept out from us at any moment if we don’t make a name for ourselves…”

You looked at them both for a moment, the despondency in the prosecutor’s expression, and noticed the full tick of silence that seemed to absorb the building.

“Let me join you.” They both looked to you in surprise, but your smile was sincere and determined. 

“…That would be…” Niijima mumbled.

“Are you sure?” Akechi questioned, eyebrows knitted.

“The cases look interesting and you’ll need someone on forensics to help–” You pumped your hands into fists. “Count me in.”

Akechi looked at Niijima for her answer, who then sighed. Her countenance was noticeably more eased as she said, “Your help will be appreciated.”

“Welcome aboard,” the detective chimed.

You grinned, and it must have been something influential because they both smiled. “This is gonna be so cool– we can figure this out! Thank you, Niijima-sa–”

“You can call me Sae-san,” Niijima cut you off with a small smile, and you merely stared in response. With that, the prosecutor walked out and left you and Akechi staring at one another. Once you could tell Niijima – Sae – was gone, you let out a tiny sound of self-achievement. 

“Maybe I’ll have this job longer than I thought.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and so the trio begins u3u


	3. Dinner with a Detective

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stressed from work, Akechi offers to get something to eat with you and any assumptions you have about him are turned on their head.

**Date: October 2015**

“Are you kidding?”

You gaped at the pile of paperwork on your desk. Your coworker had supposedly forgotten to turn them in to you, and it was due tomorrow.

“The work is right there in front of you,” he responded to your rhetorical question, unfazed.

“And _no one_ remembered to tell me about this?” you said, turning to the unbothered man.

“I guess not,” he replied, already turning away, “It’s due tomorrow, if you weren’t aware; you can’t leave until you finish.” You were thankful he was down the hallway by the time he said that because the glare you were giving his back was enough to probably get you fired – or another ton of work. You glanced back at the papers, and then sighed and threw your hands up in surrender as you trudged into your office; it was already 5 P.M. and this was going to take a while. You couldn’t wait until you were of a higher rank in your field and you wouldn’t get bossed around by your coworkers anymore.

7 P.M. should have been the office’s Witching Hour because that was around the time things got eerily quiet – it was also the time that you finally finished the paperwork, and you were ready to die for your friend who agreed to slip into your apartment and feed your dog for you. She went to Kosei High School with you and another good friend of yours, proving to be the closest people in your life at the moment. You could never thank them enough for everything they did for you – especially with catching you up on schoolwork. 

7 P.M. was also the time that you heard a soft voice say, “I didn’t know you were still here.”

You turned around and saw a tired Akechi, and you had no clue how he contained it so well because he sounded as casual as always despite the literal sinking of his eyes. You immediately drooped like a dry flower, your arms hanging from their sockets as you pulled your bag over your shoulder. “I didn’t know you were here, either,” you replied, putting a file into a stack for your dear coworker who got you into this. You supposed it was part of the job, huh… “Matsui-san threw a bunch of paperwork at me that’s due tomorrow, so I was getting that done…”

Akechi’s face flashed with recognition. “Oh, yeah, he tends to do that a lot. It’s not just you, I can promise you.” His fake smile was lop-sided today, and that somehow gave you a glimmer of comfort; you weren’t the only one stressing. And also you thought you would be sick if you had to look at his forced smile today. “It’s good you finished it that quickly, though, so you can go home at a decent time.”

“It’s not a big deal,” you said, even though you were definitely treating it like a big deal just two hours before. “There’s not really a reason to rush. It’s not like I have anyone waiting for me at home, anyway.” Except for your dog. Oh god, you were oversharing again.

It was silent and you looked away to hurriedly grab your file organizer with the distant realization that you had just made things awkward. If Akechi weren’t still standing in your office’s doorway like a Sim that someone had hit the Pause button on, you would have slapped yourself in the forehead. 

You didn’t want to turn around and look at him, so you took as long as possible to collect a stack of paper and grab your keys. You almost flinched when you heard him speaking again.

“Have you… eaten yet?” It wasn’t what you were expecting, and that was enough to make you turn around. His stare was calm, almost a bit sympathetic now. “We can stop somewhere, if you want.”

You blinked, and you took so long to respond that Akechi began to retract his offer, but you said, “Sure. Where do you want to go?” You couldn’t tell if this was an awkward attempt to change the subject or if he was asking to spend time with you out of pity, but you were curious. You hadn’t actually _talked_ to Akechi much, outside of trading information and rare moments of connection over experiences. So, why not?

Akechi’s face showed over with a brief surprise, but it quickly faded into a small smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “Do you have any preference?”

“I’ll literally eat anything – just take me anywhere.” You flicked your office’s light switch off and slipped by him to lock the door behind you.

“All right, then.”

* * *

He ended up leading you to a hidden restaurant that you didn’t even know was a block away from your house. There were only three people inside, seated across the room from each other – when you asked how he found it he simply averted his eyes and said he enjoyed small food places. You sat awkwardly across from him at a table near the corner of the tiny restaurant, abruptly realizing that you had _no clue how to talk to him._ Uh–

“Not gonna lie, I was expecting you to kidnap me or something when you started taking me this way,” you said as you picked up the menu – which was also small and fun-sized; it seemed to be a theme here.

It was true; you trusted him (at least, as much as you could trust an acquaintance from work who didn’t seem too threatening), but walking here with him _in the dark_ was definitely a risk.

Akechi laughed a bit, but you barely noticed it as you tuned in to the gentle jazz playing from speakers somewhere in the store. “I’m offended that you think so low of me.”

Your eyes focused on a crepe on the desserts menu that sounded especially appetizing right now. “It’s not you, it’s just common sense. It’s not really smart to go to a secret restaurant in a back alley with a man at night. But anyway– thanks for inviting me.” Even though you still didn’t know _why_ he did it. “You didn’t have to – you look tired.”

His smile was exhausted that time, and that at least made it a bit more genuine. “I suppose you’re right – and it’s no problem. I appreciate you pushing away your worry to come with me.”

“I wouldn’t say it’s pushing away my worry as much as it’s just me being curious,” you hummed, crossing your legs on your chair to lessen the urge to sit with one leg up like a gremlin. 

“You know they do say curiosity kills the cat,” Akechi helpfully pointed out, and you raised a playful eyebrow so you wouldn’t roll your eyes. You couldn’t help but watch the pleasing symmetry of his face as he smiled in amusement. Akechi had one of those faces that people couldn’t look away from, like magnets were implanted into your eyeballs and his dumb facial structure and careful brown eyes were the polar sides. Luckily for you, your specialty was ignoring people’s inconvenient attractiveness. 

“ _Should_ I be worried?” You were smiling now. “I hated Matsui-san’s work but I’m not really in the mood to die right now.”

“I wouldn’t know,” he responded, and you knew he was joking but he looked cute tapping his chin with his finger once before returning his hand to the table. 

Distantly pondering how long you would be here, you both ordered your food and a silence fell between you. You ignored the texts popping up on your phone, especially when you caught Akechi glancing down at the lit-up screen, as well, and turned it on to silent mode. You took the time to admire the atmosphere, taking note of the decorations denoting a typical cozy café you would see in lofi remixes all the time. You didn’t know how you hadn’t found this place yet during your walks with Nao. At least you knew about it now.

“What you said earlier…” Oh, you didn’t think it would come up again. You combatted the urge to tear your hair from your scalp and instead braved eye contact with him. He wasn’t looking at you, though, eyes averted to a healthy plant by the check-out counter. “I also live alone, by the way. I… understand how it feels.”

 _That’s_ why he didn’t seem shocked when you confessed to living alone a week ago. He looked at you, and something sincere was in his gaze. 

“At least you have your dog, though. I suppose that makes things less lonely,” Akechi commented almost wistfully, and you frowned. 

“It still sucks,” you said, and he smiled tiredly. 

“Yeah.”

You absently tapped your finger against the wood table, watching one of the other customers leave the café. “It still feels weird to know that I’m the one responsible for things at home – I’m pretty much doomed if I see a cockroach or I get robbed or something. It must be nice to have a parent to help with stuff like that.”

You weren’t sure what in that sentence was a trigger bomb for the detective, but a slash of pain briefly showed in his eyes before it wiped into the same slight understanding. It was enough to make you freeze and stare for a moment too long, like you had just brushed over a hidden pile of gold but proceeded to only dig fruitlessly around it. “Yeah…” he murmured, eyes downcast now. Akechi must have been through something – he definitely had, why else would he be living alone like you at age seventeen? – and that realization was enough to disregard all of his strange, forced social habits and the offhanded feeling that he hated you at work. 

–But you weren’t about to dig for whatever dark past he was holding, so you just smiled sadly and said, “Well, you didn’t invite me out just for me to make things depressing – I don’t know much about you, when did you start detective work?”

You ate through your conversations, and Akechi seemed to find your story of arguing with a lawyer in court when it wasn’t even your job funny. And seeing his real laughter, although short-lived, was enough to make you laugh until you were both laughing at what seemed like nothing. You were joyed to watch him _relax more_ as the time went on, showing less control of his facial expressions and his posture loosening. It felt… nice.

Before you knew it, the two of you and another man were the only ones left in the café and your cheeks were hurting from grinning too much. 

“I wouldn’t have expected you to attend Kosei,” Akechi responded to your school reveal. You noticed that his expression was lazier now, but not in a bad way. It was like he was… off guard for a moment. 

You leaned back in your chair, the sleepiness finally starting to hit you. It was almost 8. You both had already paid, but were sitting for just a few minutes longer before leaving. “Kosei mostly focuses on fine arts, but they have a small science program there, too.”

“That’s interesting,” he said, a couple of his fingers positioned on his chin with intrigue, “not to mention impressive; you must have worked hard.”

You shrugged and grinned sheepishly. “Ehh… I guess staying hidden in my room studying for half of my life was worth it.” 

“Not only do you have the intelligence, but you have a high moral compass. Last week, it never occurred to me that the breakdown victims should be sent into hospital care,” Akechi commented because of course you weren’t going to have a normal, non-psychologically analyzing dinner with a detective.

You shrugged again, somewhere between never knowing how to react to compliments and also not trusting that they were genuine. You had the feeling that Akechi was a master at schmoozing. “It probably won’t be much better than prison because hospitals also suck, but I guess it’s something.”

“They do?” he asked, and took a sip of his drink as he watched with intrigue – watched in wait for you to spill your past out to him. But _no_ , you weren’t going to overshare any more today.

“Yeah, I mean you know how the mental health system is,” you said, a bit more solemn. Your hands clasped atop each other by the edge of the table in front of your chest. “But I don’t know – maybe they will get help.”

He nodded, his smile bittersweet with grim acceptance. “Maybe.” You glimpsed at the time on your phone and Akechi took it as a sign to ask, “Were you ready to go?”

You hummed, nodding. “Sure.” You both gathered your things and slipped out of the small restaurant. The air outside was much colder than it was on the walk over, and you found comfort in the bubble coat you pulled closer to yourself. October nights were the best.

“Do you want me to walk with you?” Akechi offered, but he was already following after you as you crossed the empty street, his briefcase swinging a bit with his footsteps.

“As long as you don’t use my address to stalk me– or doxx me,” you replied, glancing at your notifications before stuffing your phone back into your coat pocket. You would respond to your friends’ texts at home. 

A puff of condensation released into the air from Akechi’s small laugh, and it was probably the second most human thing you had seen from him that night. “Of course,” he said, falling into step beside you. 

There were just as many people out now as there were an hour ago, especially in this district of the city. The students lingering around had been replaced by university students and older adults, making you acutely aware of how young the two of you still were. It didn’t feel that way – it never did. 

You passed by a bush shaped into two spheres stacked atop each other and you heard Akechi say, “I hope that was at least a bit enjoyable. I’m afraid I bore most people.”

You looked up at him and you were startled to immediately make eye contact – you didn’t know he was staring. “Of course it was enjoyable. And you can’t bore me when I have to listen to boring people talk about murders every day.”

There was a small relief in his eyes, and you were grateful for saying what you did. “I’m glad to hear I’m more captivating than Takai’s case meetings.”

“ _Anything_ is more captivating than his meetings,” you said, taking a left turn into your neighborhood. “And also you’re not ‘captivating,’ you’re a person. Your personality isn’t graded by how much you entertain people.”

Akechi was silent for a moment, and all you could hear was chatter from down the street in that brief moment of time. Eventually, when you could see your apartment building down the street, he came to quietly say, “I’ve… never thought of it like that before. Thank you for giving me a new perspective.”

“You shouldn’t be so hard on yourself,” you said, with the lingering feeling that you were wrongfully crossing a boundary. “You can’t call yourself uninteresting when people like Takai exist. I swear, I can’t give him any paperwork without him going on a ten-minute rant about how he hates his wife.”

Akechi let out a surprised laugh, quickly and self-consciously hovering a hand over his mouth. “I suppose you have a point. And… thank you,” he decided on. “…Did you want me to walk with you up to your apartment before I leave?”

You weren’t expecting that offer. You had to say it did feel comforting to have a guy with you on your commute home, especially at any time past sundown. “Oh– no, I’m good. Thank you. You should be careful going home, though.” Maybe you were wrong about Akechi.

“You don’t need to worry about me,” he replied easily. 

You were relieved to see the walkway to your apartment building calling your name like you had been gone for years; with how exhausted you were, you should have been.

“Is this it?” Akechi stopped on the sidewalk to ask, but his question was already answered as you dragged yourself to the entry door. You didn’t see him examining the building and its neighboring streets, too focused on collapsing into the bed waiting for you five stories up. 

“Yep.” You paused with one hand on the door’s handle, tilting so you could look at Akechi still. “Thanks again for… asking me to come with you. I liked it a lot,” you said. 

“You’re very welcome.” You couldn’t see his face as well, both with the dark and the small distance between you now, but you smiled, anyway. “I’ll see you tomorrow?”

You nodded, offering a small wave as you turned the handle. “Goodbye, Akechi-kun.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay i just wanted to post the first three chapters together, i'm done for now until chapter four ;3


	4. Snow Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nothing ever goes quite right when there’s a chance of snow before winter has even started.

**Date: December 2015**

“The SIU Director expects all of you in the conference room by eleven,” Sae addressed the small group gathered. 

“For the lack of breakdowns?” a petite technician, Naoko, questioned, and Sae nodded. 

“Yes, the incidents have slowed down recently, and we must discuss it. Please be on time,” she explained, and everyone began to disperse with quiet replies of acceptance. 

Then waltzed in you, knit hat pulled down to cover your ears and winter coat practically engulfing you. “Good morning, Sae-san,” you chirped, beginning to unzip your coat with your free hand.

“(F/N)-san, you’re late,” she said as your delightful greeting back, lowering her clipboard to her side and giving you an unamused look as you approached her. “Can you explain yourself?”

You raised your hands in surrender, smiling sheepishly. “Okay, I’m sorry that I was making a sacrifice to the snow gods so it could actually snow today.”

“The chances are thirty percent,” Sae grumbled. Someone clearly wasn’t a snow person. “It hasn’t snowed this early in December in years. And that’s not a valid excuse.”

You pointed at her with a grin. “That means it’s possible!” 

“Sae-san, did you have the dates of the breakdowns written down for the meeting?” Akechi butted in, just barely saving you from a Sae-branded eye roll. When Sae responded affirmatively, Akechi nodded and said, “Thank you, I’ll see you in an hour – good morning, (L/N)-san.”

He walked off right when you waved, and your eyes widened as you realized, “Oh, wait, I have to go with Akechi-kun.” You rushed to slip off your coat and disappear toward your office far before Sae had dismissed you.

“(F/N), wait–” She let out a heavy sigh. “You need to be in the conference room at eleven,” she called after you, “and you’d best have an excuse for your tardiness when I see you!” 

You raised a thumbs-up over your head and replied from down the corridor, “Okay, got it!”

After unloading your bags (one for work and one for school), coat, and files into your office, you snatched your notes and rushed to find Akechi. He went in the direction of the lounge, and you prayed it wasn’t for the elevator because you would _never_ find him if it was. At least one of your spiritual pleas worked today because you found him speaking with your forensic coworker, Naoko, whom you’d happened to grow the closest to within your time here. You still spoke to Akechi at least once a day ever since he invited you out in October – even in his bad moods when he was worse at hiding his irritation of your relentless existence. You didn’t ever think much of it. 

They were talking about the meeting when you approached, and Naoko’s face lit up at your appearance. “(F/N)-chan!”

You offered her a cheerful greeting, focusing your attention on the detective beside her. “Akechi-kun– I never got an updated summary from you or Takai-san.”

He paused at the mention and said, “My apologies, I’ll print a copy for you. You should have reminded me earlier.”

“I’m sorry, I was late today,” you smiled nervously, gripping your notes in your hands. “I was too busy sending a prayer for the temperature to stay below zero, but the gods haven’t listened to me before and definitely won’t listen to me now.”

Naoko’s face brightened again. “For the snow?”

You had officially found your soulmate. “Yes!” 

“The chances are thirty percent,” Akechi contributed, a mirror image of Sae just five minutes before. “If it snows, it certainly won’t be a lot.”

“So?” You grinned and did one singular jazz hand. Akechi rolled his eyes in response to your dumb optimism, but he was smiling and it canceled out any visible annoyance. You were the only one in the workplace Akechi would dare roll his eyes at, and you took that title with pride.

“Akechi-kun was saying that the breakdown frequency may be related to the weather somehow – specifically the temperature, like how crime rate increases during the summer months. I told him he should mention that during the meeting,” Naoko chimed in, voice gentle as it usually was. She was very soft-spoken; ironic enough, considering her intelligence and crucial position in forensics. You happened to be the one who made her laugh more than talk during most workdays. 

“Hmm, I was thinking something like that, too,” you replied, still holding your papers to your chest. “I feel like we shouldn’t say anything too soon or else the cases will blow up out of nowhere and prove everything wrong. It’s really weird.” You were simply thankful to have something of a _team_ working with the breakdowns now; you, Sae, and Akechi wouldn’t have survived long by yourselves. Plus, it felt nice to specialize in a case of some sort, almost like a club.

“It is strange, isn’t it?” Akechi smiled at you like this was fun. “I suppose we still have a lot to learn about the incidents.” 

“There have been so many in the past year, and we still know so little...” Naoko murmured. You glanced at your phone for the time, and Naoko glimpsed your phone screen, too. “We should probably get going," she commented, brushing off the topic.

You entered the conference room and wondered just how long you’d be able to avoid Sae before your inevitable demise. A long, stereotypically business-friendly table sat in the center of the room with a total of about 16 chairs, a whiteboard in the front with a small stand for the potential presenter’s files and belongings. You ended up finding a seat between Akechi and Naoko, just a few minutes before eleven. You didn’t mind the conferences, themselves – though your attention did wander a lot – but the awkward moments while waiting for the presenter to set up and everyone to come in were excruciating. You were lucky to usually have at least one coworker within proximity to talk to.

By the time everyone had arrived, only two chairs were left empty, and you were thankful you had come in early. Sae did not approach you in her walk to a seat on the other side of the table, so you saw this as a double-win.

The presenter initiated the meeting swiftly, directing his focus on a summary of the breakdowns and asking a forensic technician to clarify the dates of each incident. You kept a stable eye on the large paneled window, attempting to glare at the long white clouds and scare the snow out of them. Within ten minutes, Akechi was already being ignored as he tried to speak – either from his soft voice or just the cluelessness of the people in the room who talked over him – so you lent him a sympathetic helping hand.

“Akechi-kun had something to say,” you cut through the discussion with ease, barely even looking up from your notes you had taken thus far. Everyone stopped, and you saw Akechi fidget a bit, but he still carried on with his steady observation. 

Everything was going as normal – Akechi contributed his idea about the temperature affecting the breakdown frequency – until the poor presenter began sharing his screen on the whiteboard. Although the opened window only showed a few tabs related to studies and notes, that didn’t stop an unknown window from interrupting his sentence with a forceful, “P o r n H u b L i v e.” The room seemed to pause like a lagging, low frame-rate cutscene, still not unpaused by the time the presenter hurriedly closed the hidden window responsible and murmured, “Sorry about that–”

He tried to continue afterward, though it was apparent that, not only was he shaken up (the paleness in his face and awkward “ _um_ ”s laced into his arguments gave away his discomfort, and you had to give him bonus points for even remaining sane after something so humiliating), but the mood of the room was much stiffer.

You used every bit of strength you’d ever had to hold your laughter inside your chest. All that came out was a suffocated squeak that sounded like a dying dog toy, and you could tell Akechi heard you because you caught his shoulders briefly shaking before he returned to a professional demeanor. Naoko must have heard you, too, as her steady hand taking notes began to tremble against the notebook paper.

You managed to raise your eyebrows and force a tight smile toward the clouds outside to plug your giggles, but you took one glance at the SIU Director’s confused, blinking face and you were back to feeling like you were going to burst.

And then you saw another of your coworkers, Mitsuru, across the table cover her smile with her hand, as well as Yamamura smiling in amusement to himself beside her, and your stomach squeezed hard enough to probably give you abs. _Hold it in hold it in hold it-_

As he continued talking and you did everything in your power to think of something depressing, the urge to laugh your guts onto the table dissipated and you were able to pay decent attention. There was a gap in your memory at the part of the presentation for recommended action, but you supposed you would find out sooner or later. Thank God for Naoko letting you reference her writing when making comments for the group, so you at least looked like you knew what was going on. 

The topic was brought to close, only open for individual questions and concerns, and you nearly sighed with relief. You were proud of yourself for surviving the remaining forty-five minutes, either from the work of your self-control or Sae’s disapproving glare. 

But then Yamamura raised a hand to signify he was about to speak, and you already knew he had been formulating his comment since the Chrome Incident first happened and you prepared yourself. “You presented an important rundown of information, including the entrance of your PornHub model,” he said, and you immediately covered your mouth and nose with your hand. Mitsuru couldn’t prevent it that time and laughed, obviously pent up during the entire meeting, and you squeezed your eyes shut. You hated it here. 

The presenter’s uncomfortable stumbling for a response made it even worse, and you officially didn’t know whether to curl into a ball to cringe at his feet or hug him. Oh, well. He would live.

Everyone began filing out of the room unhurriedly once dismissed. You made it a goal to pack your things and _leave_ as soon as possible, which, of course, didn’t happen because Akechi had questions that you realized would be helpful, so you and Naoko stuck around to listen. You jotted information down as you heard it, quietly asking your coworker for her notes to review later. The unit appeared to be leaning toward using this time to evaluate the previous breakdown victims’ conditions. You didn’t know why they weren’t sending questionnaires of some sort to the essential workers who seemed vulnerable to these incidents, but your proposal would likely get ignored. They were open to anything except for solutions, it seemed.

The three of you filed out of the room with quiet “ _thank you_ ”s, letting out a collective breath of relief that… whatever _that_ was had ended.

Unfortunately for you, Sae was waiting outside the door. 

“(F/N)-san, you never told me your excuse,” she stated, arms crossed over her chest as always. “And you should have more self-control during professional meetings. You’re lucky the director was lenient. Were you even paying attention?”

“I was just finishing a test this morning,” you waved your hand dismissively as you moved so to not block the door. You were surprised when Akechi and Naoko actually waited for you. “I told the director already, so don’t worry. And–” You opened your palm in exaggeration. “I wasn’t even that bad! I bit my tongue off trying not to laugh for about fifteen minutes and then I was fine and took notes!” You pulled a face like you were eating Warheads candy while trying not to think about it – you were most definitely going to laugh until you cried once you got home tonight. How was the poor presenter even going to show his face ever again?

Sae didn’t take it, still staring with narrowed eyes. “Thank you; and you should still know how to respond better. You’re at work – not in a classroom.”

You grinned, “Okay, but at least _I_ wasn’t the one to ruin it this time! You can thank Yamamura-san for that.” But she rolled her eyes, already walking past you. 

“Oh, wow, how admirable.” And then she was gone, vanished into the small hallway, and you were left blinking with a smile as you tried to catch up to what had happened in the past hour. 

“I underestimated your squeaking skills, (F/N)-chan,” Naoko broke you from your short reflection, and you turned to face them. 

“Ah–” Your eyebrows twisted together. “I forgot about that.”

“Your squeak made the situation more comical than it actually was,” Akechi added as the three of you began to walk toward the elevator. You covered your face with one hand, grinning into your palm.

“Sae-san didn’t appreciate the squeak; it was a side-effect of my snow ritual, I swear,” your voice began to echo inside the elevator. Your eyes widened, and you cupped a hand over your mouth. “Wait, was it loud?”

“Kind of,” Akechi responded, to your horror, and Naoko giggled on the other side of him. Your hand dragged up your face to your hair, watching the elevator buttons light up as you descended each floor. 

“Oh, god.” Well, no changing it now. It didn’t do much to your image if you were honest; you had gotten yourself into much worse things within the past few months. You all exited the elevator, stepping onto the fourth floor where most of the offices were located. Naoko parted ways with you very quickly after, taking a turn at an intersection in the corridors. 

“I have to go – there’s a case in the lab I need to get back to,” she said, waving goodbye with a final laugh toward _everything_ since the 11 A.M. meeting. And then only you and Akechi remained before you vanished into your office to set your belongings down. You were technically at lunch, and you hadn’t thought about packing any food in your rush this morning. 

You swiped up your tote bag and keys; visiting a restaurant on the block, it was. You were almost tempted to just starve until you returned home because the cold outside was too much to bear, but, like some continuous sign from the heavens, Akechi crossed paths with you on your journey back to the elevator. 

“Were you doing any work? I haven’t seen anyone,” he asked, like the neverending work machine he was.

“I think everyone’s at lunch. I was gonna go up the street to buy something, if you wanted to come,” you offered, not even thinking twice. His presence was becoming a bit more normal, and you didn’t mind it.

Akechi blinked, doing his customary Thinking Ten Times Faster Than You Ever Could Within Three Seconds face, and then replied, “Oh– sure.”

You realized while waiting for him to get his coat and scarf that you had forgotten your hat, and you groaned as you aggressively unlocked your office door, grabbed your beanie, and aggressively locked it back again. 

“Where were you planning to go?” Akechi asked on your walk to the elevator together. 

You adjusted your beanie on your head. “I don’t know – I wasn’t sure about even going because I didn’t want to walk in the cold.”

“I haven’t seen any updates on the snow, now that you mention it.”

“Me, neither. Oh– I thought I forgot my phone for a second.” His arm brushed yours as you both entered the door, but you barely noticed the contact in your intent focus on unlocking your phone. The WiFi was horrible in the elevators, so you quickly regretted opening the weather app. You stared at the blank screen while your phone tried to track where on hell’s earth you were. 

“Thank you for speaking up for me during the meeting, by the way,” Akechi’s voice echoed as he spoke. His appreciation was postponed in a way that gave you the impression it was painful to say. 

You stopped, staring at nothing in particular as you recalled the beginning of the conference. You panicked at the realization that you may have made him feel embarrassed, so you responded, “Oh, you’re welcome– I’m sorry if it was awkward. I just– do that a lot in group things. They ignore you a lot, too, so I felt bad.” 

“You’re fine, I just didn’t expect it,” he said, but you wanted to cringe and fade into the reflective elevator walls. You hadn’t even thought about how it could make him uncomfortable. At least he wasn’t the guy who got exposed for having a recent porn site up on his laptop during a business meeting.

Your phone still hadn’t processed once you had exited and were walking through the large main floor to the exit. “Ugh. It’s not loading,” you murmured at your unresponsive phone screen.

“Oh, what shall you do if it doesn’t snow?” Akechi asked in an exaggerated voice, and you smiled in the hope that he wasn’t upset with you.

“I actually got you to laugh for the fourth time ever with my squeak, so I think that’s enough to keep me happy today,” you said, but then Akechi opened the door for you and you both stopped at the sight of white. You glanced down at your phone, which had ironically just loaded the weather and the screen read “Snow.” The two of you stepped out limply, staring up at the thin, lithe snow clouds and then at the flakes beginning to glue to the sidewalk.

You nearly squealed, but all that came out was an excited, “Yes! The snow ritual worked!”

Akechi’s eyebrows furrowed and he smiled hopelessly at you. “I didn’t take you for a witch studying forensics.” But you merely watched in admiration, as if witnessing snow for the first time. You made a mental note to visit the dog park today; Nao loved the snow, and you wouldn’t likely see any more until January. The only thing that pulled you from your wonder was the realization that Akechi was staring at you, almost in intrigue, the way you examined a fascinating piece of evidence on a crime scene. You didn’t know how to react, but it didn’t matter because you only looked back at him for a few seconds before he blinked and seemed to snap out of it. “Do you have any ideas on food? It’s cold,” he said, instead. 

You paused, still comprehending his staring, but managed to brush it off and smile again, stuffing your hands into your pockets. “How about ramen?”


	5. Lead, or a Dead-End?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With the spring weather comes a wave of psychotic breakdowns, and no one can tell right from left with the cases anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i want to say thank you for all the comments and kudos!! i really appreciate it djfkdsj ;}
> 
> long time skip! this one is kind of wordy and Educational bc i had a lot of information to cover!! but there will be fluff next chapter and i will try my best to upload it before the end of my winter break

**Date: April 2016**

It had now been six months since the psychotic breakdowns became a major case, Akechi — who you were on a first-name basis with — started wearing gloves and letting his detective status to get to his head, Sae was in a daily battle with the unit to keep her position, and none of you were any closer to discovering the cause.

Speaking of, the blooming spring weather did nothing to ease the news that a presumed breakdown had occurred earlier today. Shortly after the conference in December, everyone’s hypotheses were knocked on their heads when, not only was there another breakdown, but this victim _died_ ; the first death related to the cases. It was back to the drawing board for all of you, especially now that the cases were picking up with a fervor unlike before. There had been at least three in the past week.

You couldn’t help but have an itch in the back of your mind that maybe these should be investigated as something more than chance stress breakdowns. Reactions like this didn’t just arise from thin air and affect an entire country so quickly. Scientists made correlations to other medical conditions, but nothing quite lined up with the breakdowns. These were incomparable.

You smiled wearily, listening to the elevator’s timely _ding_ as you entered the fourth floor. No one would take you seriously, anyway.

You were actually fleeing a crime scene of your own — though, not of your doing this time — and you couldn’t express your relief when you saw familiar faces upon turning the corner into the offices. 

“(F/N)-san, we were just looking for you,” Sae greeted, actually looking decently content today. “You both are leaving to investigate the breakdown scene in a little while.”

You adjusted the folder you were holding to fit in both of your hands. “I know—” No better time to play civilian hero than now. “—By the way, be careful on the third floor; someone put baby oil in the hallways.” 

“Why…?” Sae asked, face twisting with trademarked disgust. 

You shrugged. “I don’t know, maybe they ordered baby oil for April Fools but it was delivered late.”

Goro turned to you, emphasizing the proud shine of his badge on his stereotypical detective trench coat — emphasis when you said Goro’s status had gone to his head. He was given a pass, mostly due to the ability and intelligence he had proven since joining the unit. He gestured limply to your general body and said, “More importantly — how are you still alive?”

Sae allied with him, adding, “Yes, you are the first person I would expect to die in that situation.” You gaped at both of them.

“How dare you?! — _Why?_ ” you yelped, placing a hand over your chest in feigned hurt.

Unluckily for you and as mercilessly as always, Goro didn’t hesitate to bluntly answer, “Because you’re clumsy.”

You pouted, clutching the files to your chest as you crossed your arms. “Rude… But it was because Mitsuru-chan was the sacrifice and slipped first, and then I had to drag her back into the elevator,” you still explained. 

That was when Goro cocked an eyebrow, his face somehow still pretty with the movement. You swore he had gotten taller over the past few months, just adding to his image of a heartthrob high-school detective. You swore some people were just born lucky. He motioned to the folder in your hands, “Hold on, didn’t you need to turn in the reports to Takai-san before we leave for the investigation?” Takai had been the entire reason you needed to go to the third floor, but plans had changed, and you wanted to keep your legs.

You immediately smiled, “Yep—” and dropped the folder into Goro’s hands to say with the biggest grin, “Good luck, Goro. The unit is counting on you.” You topped it off with a pat on the shoulder as if he were going to war; honestly, with the amount of baby oil you had seen splayed on the ceramic flooring downstairs, it _was_ war. 

You slipped past Goro toward your office while he was still frozen and processing the burden you had just placed on him, but he was already saying, “(F/N), this is _your_ responsibility, you cannot—”

Goro’s entrance into war was possibly postponed as Yamamura passed by with a fuming SIU Director, demanding who had slickened the third-floor corridors with oil and threatening the perpetrator’s job position if they did not confess. At the buzzing silence in response, the director sighed and looked up toward your small group of three with something of resignation. “You are all still on schedule to check the crime scene today, correct?”

“Yes, sir,” Goro replied, and you nodded from behind him. 

“Thank you — I am sure you will not disappoint,” the middle-aged man said, and sighed again before drifting off toward the other side of the fourth floor. Yamamura followed him with an unsure glance at all of you.

* * *

“You look excited.”

It was true; you could probably vibrate with the current frequency of enthusiasm phasing through you. You were fidgeting with the equipment in your hands and walking with a certain bounce in your step that easily matched Goro’s pace, which was unusual — damn his long-ass legs. “I _am_ excited. This will be my second time looking at a crashed train this close!”

Goro gave you a doubtful look. “It’s not that exciting. It will likely be more somber than anything.”

You smiled, shaking your occupied arms in place of eagerly clenching your fists. “Say what you want, I’m in this job because I like looking at this stuff.”

“I suppose that’s true,” he said, focused on the sight ahead of him. The entrance into this train station had been closed off with barricade tape, a gathering of officers and other police already inside.

“That doesn’t look good,” you murmured, partly to yourself.

“No…” Goro’s eyes narrowed. “Did you see the footage? It was a miracle no one was killed with how the train crashed.”

You felt your stomach drop. “No… I was too busy helping with reports for the crash from the other day… What did it—?”

“The driver accelerated so much when nearing the station that it crashed into the platform,” he responded solemnly, still looking straight ahead. “I wonder what even compelled him to do such a thing, especially with a train full of people.”

“That’s…” Horrendous. You couldn’t even begin to describe it. At least no one had died — one silver lining in all of this. “…terrifying.”

Goro sighed. “Yes… I’m sure today is going to be rough,” he remarked.

The task force approached the tape with badges out and ready like backstage passes. You all slipped through the caution tape and received instructions from an officer.

Your eyes wandered to the street outside the police tape, where a few teenage girls had gathered to share hushed whispers. You easily followed their line of sight, directly on the oblivious Akechi Goro.

Oh, yeah — Goro had also gained a bit of a following for himself. 

You had no clue where his fame came from — one day, you were walking with him after school, and cameramen popped out from what seemed like every corner to ask him questions (you slipped away and hid in a nearby pet store), and he explained it later as if it weren’t a big deal. You and Sae merely exchanged looks whenever the paparazzi cornered him now, usually from a safe six meters away. 

An officer promptly approached the girls awing at Goro and requested them to leave the scene, which they luckily complied with (after some hesitation). You watched them scurry away, only remembering that you should be paying attention when Naoko nudged you. You blinked and realized the group was descending the staircase with an order from Yamamura to get started. 

Nothing seemed quite as eerie as the empty train station, silent enough to make out the footsteps of everyone around you atop a distant hum of the ventilation. And then there was the train, creating fractures and lifts in the floor upon its brutal collision with the platform. You weren’t even sure how you would enter the train to investigate; each car was lying in a different position and angle, like a toy train a child had carelessly flipped over.

You absorbed the sight, like a world left abandoned, with the buzzing beneath your feet to power a hypothetical train as the only evidence of life. You only stared for a moment before following after Goro.

An engineer was elaborating on information, and you listened in, “The breakdown victim was a forty-year-old man with no previous medical conditions. Cameras show the driver suddenly pressing down on the acceleration, and the people on board quickly noticed. A few tried to get the driver’s attention, but it did nothing and the train crashed.” You glanced at Goro, who returned the same calculating look to you before looking back at the engineer. “There were no deaths, but over 300 were injured. Most are still in the ER.”

You forked off to approach the train after that, eyeing it carefully as if expecting it to tip over. When it didn’t, you observed the indentations from the platform, elongating into unruly cracks in front of your feet. 

“It’s mesmerizing, isn’t it?” You nearly jolted when you saw Goro beside you, and you instantly sighed. 

“I hate you,” you grumbled, but still replied, “It’s definitely somber like you said.”

Goro nodded, observing the mutations in the metal that you hadn’t thought were possible until now. “I have the feeling that the public won’t respond well to this.”

You looked over at him. “What do you mean?”

He looked contemplative, focused on a bolt securing a piece of metal to the train, something that probably had nothing to do with what he was thinking about. “People will likely start avoiding the trains, or distrusting public transportation, in general…”

Your eyebrows knitted. “Oh, and then it will be more difficult for drivers and engineers to keep their jobs…” You were both silent, and you, not knowing how to have a serious conversation for more than ten seconds, elbowed his arm. “We should get started, huh?”

Surprisingly, Goro smiled, though tight-lipped. “I suppose so.”

You began toward the detectives’ section led by Takai so you could get an idea of what evidence they needed, and Goro followed behind. “It’s scary how these popped up out of nowhere. And the journalists can’t get off our backs so they’re scaring the public even more,” you continued.

You didn’t fully expect him to respond, but you were appreciative when he did, “I’d say it’s better for people to be aware of the breakdowns, rather than us hiding the information; concealing it would create more distrust between the people and government.”

Your lips poked out. “That’s true… And I guess it’s our job to handle it quickly, so I can’t blame people for getting scared. I just wish it wasn’t so— so… difficult.” Your shoulders fell. “It’s like every time we find a lead, then it gets proven wrong. Not even the science facilities know what’s going on.”

“Yes, they truly are mysterious.” Goro gave you a small smile. “But I’m sure we’ll get to the bottom of it eventually, especially if we’re working together.”

Although you were uncertain of his words, you forced up a smile in the minuscule hope that he was right. “I hope so.”

The detectives were currently searching for a motive, which you doubted anyone would find without interrogating the victim, but it didn’t hurt to check the train for leads.

Within two hours, after everyone had an opportunity to examine the train, your attention was piqued on a prescription bottle you had discovered in the driving car. You were hunched over on the platform trying to read the directions along the side of the bottle.

Your eyes stopped when one of the officers overlooking you hissed, “You guys should be speeding this up; we need to re-open the tracks at some point in the next ten years.”

You always hated working around the cops. Impatient and unnervingly aggressive, they were. Not to mention they greatly favored Goro and his glorious detective magnificence over you; sexism was rampant, and it showed. You were thankful that you didn’t need to interact with them frequently.

“If you’re so peeved, you can go back to waving a baton at speeding cars and directing ticket booth traffic,” you said, just loud enough that they could hear. “No one’s stopping you.”

“Don’t get too cocky, kid,” he growled, but you didn’t even glance up. “I bet your parents didn’t raise you to talk to your superiors like that.”

“(F/N),” you were thankful to hear Goro cut your uncomfortable conversation short as he stepped out of the train, Naoko closely behind. “Didn’t you see something like this in the last two incidents?”

You turned to face them. Your eyes hooked on a vial of black fluid Naoko held carefully in her gloved hands. You stared closely, noticing the strange air bubbles and dark purple tint as it settled in the glass. 

“Yeah…” You had found a similar sample before that didn’t match any atomic or biological structures in the lab, even after being sent to a larger science research facility; a literal unknown, undocumented substance. You were dismissed when you first collected the fluid, but your coworkers finally inspected it closer the second time you showed up with it; this third appearance now proved the hypothesis that it was related to the breakdowns in some way. 

“Where do you think it comes from?” Naoko asked, panicked.

“I…” Your lips puckered. “…don’t know.”

“I remember, that was coming out of the driver’s mouth when they pulled him out on the stretcher,” the engineer rushed up to all of you, alight with recollection. “It looked like something straight out of a horror movie.”

“Coming out of his mouth?” you repeated, quieter. Goro turned to the engineer with finality. 

“Can we see the camera footage?”

* * *

“That’s terrible…” Naoko whispered from behind you, a very simple summary for everything you couldn’t even put into words. Not only did the goo ominously leak from the conductor’s mouth, but his eyes rolled back as he ignored the cries of the unaware civilians inside the train.

You and Goro stood in shocked silence as the engineer continued, “I’ve never seen anything like it. I don’t know what kind of diagnosis you could even make with that…”

You looked up at him, eyes wide. “It could’ve just been the blood clotting, right? Like when vomit looks black?”

“Maybe, but last time, it didn’t have the same traces of the victim’s DNA as vomit would, remember?” Naoko pointed out, and you paused. Goro was quiet. 

“Wouldn’t that mean it could qualify as its own diagnosis? If… there could be one?” you suggested. You averted your eyes from the camera screen paused on the breakdown victim’s face, sickly pale and oozing black. “Either that or we could keep treating it as a side effect of anxiety.”

“I can’t even keep up with this anymore…” another coworker complained, squeezing her forehead. You couldn’t say _you_ could, either.

“I suppose the breakdowns could either be considered their own type of medical condition or a side effect of something bigger,” Goro contributed with a hand on his chin, which silenced the room because everyone loved Goro and would listen to him in a heartbeat. “The only conclusion we can come to is that they are a response to extreme stress.”

“That’s literally what I just said!” you squeaked, but Yamamura was already talking over you to commend Goro for his keen insight. 

“Brilliant observations as always, Akechi-kun,” he praised, and you drooped in your spot. 

“But I just said that!” you cried. You questioned if Goro was actually godly because he seemed to get people to follow him religiously no matter where he went. Oh, you hated this—

Thank everything holy for Naoko, who squeezed your shoulder and spoke up, “You both are correct; the symptoms are too similar to separate just yet, but we could always work to create its own outline for diagnosis. That could help prevent the breakdowns if doctors know what signs to look for.”

You squinted at Goro, mostly playfully, to voice your disappointment in him stealing your idea, but he merely smiled before getting swept into Yamamura’s praise; yep, he was in his _thirsty for authoritarian approval_ mood again. You couldn’t tell who was doing the schmoozing (ahem, _ass-kissing_ ) here because they both fired praise after praise to one another, but — oh, well. At least Goro would probably be promoted from this. 

You begrudgingly followed the others back to the crashed train as Goro continued to speak with Yamamura.

The breakdown victim was shortly after arrested for bodily harm, destruction to property, and unsafe handling of vehicles, though he would also be under critical medical surveillance. You watched him be guided away by multiple officers, most likely to spend the rest of his life grieving in lonely confinement. Some coworkers in the task force, like Yamamura, seemed celebratory with the arrest, but you couldn’t bring yourself to be too thrilled. You felt like you were missing something, like there was something much more to these incidents.

“(F/N)-san, come on! The bakery is about to close!” You blinked at Naoko’s voice and looked back at the small group waiting for you.

“Coming!” you called instinctively. You rushed after Goro, Sae, and Naoko, your Mary Janes pattering against the ceramic floor.

You just couldn’t help but feel—

Something wasn’t right.


	6. Sushi

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sae has a deduction, and she discusses it with you and Goro over sushi.

**Date: April 2016**

“Do you think Sae-san will be done soon?” You tossed your crumpled physics syllabus back and forth in your hands as you leaned against the railing behind you.

“I forget how impatient you are,” Goro commented, not looking up from his phone. “She probably will.”

You groaned, glimpsing at his phone for the time – nearly 8 P.M. Witching Hour, again. You were both waiting for Sae to finish speaking with the SIU Director because she hadn’t given either of you permission to go home yet.

“It’s not my fault that I’m hungry and she’s taking one thousand years,” you grumbled, clasping an arm around your stomach.

“But it _is_ your fault for skipping lunch,” he contributed, and you frowned limply at him.

“I’m too hungry to even get angry at you right now – and you can’t lie, I know you’re hungry, too.” You rested fully on the railing, narrowing your eyes at the exquisite decoration of the empty hall. This section of the building was well-funded, but the golden hues and cold smell were not appealing to your shortening energy. Was it possible for sights and visual stimuli to be too loud? They were definitely too loud right now.

A few seconds passed of silence and you caught sight of a picture on Goro’s phone screen, which he had been looking at for the entire twenty minutes you’d waited.

Pulling yourself up from the railing, you took a step forward to stand behind him and rest your chin on his shoulder so you could look at his screen. You could see now it was a news article. “What are you looking at?”

As if self-explanatory, he stopped scrolling to let you read the title with the paired photo: “Train Derailed in Terrifying Subway Crash.” Your eyes skimmed the picture of the train you had investigated earlier that week, just as ghastly and disfigured as you remembered it, and Goro began, “It was as I suspected; people aren’t reacting too well.”

You frowned, reading over the beginning of the article, where the author reviewed the accident and quoted one of Yamamura’s statements on the case. The journalist had an obviously frightened, doubtful tone, especially directed toward the police’s public feedback on the case. “Yikes…”

Goro scrolled down more, just enough to return to his previous reading spot, and you glanced over the section of social media comments people had been making about the breakdowns. “It’s troublesome, isn’t it?” he glanced back at you over his shoulder and spoke quietly, like you two weren’t alone in this giant room.

You couldn’t answer because you heard footsteps on the staircase above, and you and Goro peered around to see Sae elegantly descending the stairs. Her talk with the director clearly went at least decently.

“Did you ask for me? Is it a case?” Goro waited until she was in earshot to ask. His habit of being soft-spoken was showing.

She passed him on the stairs, expression as impassive and dignified as always. “Not quite. I want both of your opinions on something.”

You finally lifted your head from Goro’s shoulder as you turned to face her. Goro swiftly replied, “Sure. Your judgment is quite often correct, though.” Sae paused, and he took the opportunity to chirp, “Can we discuss this over sushi, perhaps? You _are_ making two students work late, after all.” He was an over-manipulative child sometimes, but maybe that was all the “high-school detective” title really meant. An over-manipulative child.

What followed was the longest silence in history, despite the fact it only lasted a few seconds. Finally, Sae responded, “Conveyor belt only,” and continued to the door. The detective made a sound of disappointment, but you couldn’t have been happier. You almost forgot how hungry you were. You had never loved Goro more in your life than at this moment.

“Yes! Ah, I’m so hungry– Sae-san, have I ever told you how much I love you?” you trilled with a newfound grin on your face, following the other two down the stairs.

“If you loved me so much, you would have finished that DNA test by now,” Sae calmly fired back, and you made a startled gasp.

Goro laughed at Sae’s comment and your subsequent shock. “Your performance _has_ been slower lately, (F/N).”

“That’s because I’m getting used to the new school year! I’m sorry that I signed up for AP Calc and am getting my butt kicked!” you huffed. You turned to point at Goro, who blinked under your aggressive gesture. “And you better not attract a crowd at the sushi place, or else we’re abandoning you.”

“You say that as if I can control my fans,” he jested back, though scoffing.

Sae’s grip on her shoulder bag tensed. “I know you two are tired, but can you save the bickering? This is important.”

* * *

“He said they still haven’t agreed to fund the case?” you asked. Sae had led you to a nicer sushi place that at least had booths so it would be easier to talk. You took the spot caved in between Goro and the conveyor belt, while Sae sat across from you both.

You took two nigiri plates when they passed your table, one for you and one for Goro so he wouldn’t reach over you, as Sae exhaled tiredly. “…Essentially,” she murmured. “We’ve been operating on our own accord for the past six months, but the government hasn’t technically approved of us yet.”

“Can’t we just keep investigating how we’ve been? We’ve been fine on our own so far,” you continued, finally looking up at Sae. Her eyes had cracked to reveal defeat now, something so rare in her usually confident face.

“We would run the risk of needing to prematurely end the case or hand it over to a larger agency, though,” Sae explained, hand limp on her teacup’s handle. You stirred your own green tea, squinting a bit.

Goro sighed, one hand on his sushi. “One would think they would have agreed to help us by now. These aren’t to be taken lightly.”

Sae glanced down at her plate. “The director blames the government for the shutdowns,” she revealed, her well-groomed nails brushing against her palm. “He said the train tracks are deteriorating, and the Ministry of Transport ignored the site inspector’s suggestion to replace them six months ago.”

“Hmm.” You scooped a piece of nigiri into your mouth, but Goro hadn’t answered yet so you could tell he was waiting for your input, first. When you were done chewing, you replied, “Maybe. It might be a contributor, but that doesn’t explain the drivers’ behaviors.”

“I agree,” Goro chimed in. He reached for a plate, and you carefully lifted it from the conveyor belt and handed it to him. “And that’s also disregarding the accidents that didn’t occur on the trains. Perhaps that argument is what prevents the higher-ups from helping with the case?”

“That was my hypothesis, too…” Sae said. “The director isn’t the only one – many people are blaming the government’s negligence, but not in the same way (F/N)-san had blamed the government, with the intense working hours and little pay…” She scowled down into her tea, anxiety marking her face. “There has to be a bigger connection, but I feel insane whenever I mention that. There’s just no way it’s that simple.”

You and Goro remained quiet, but Sae tapped her nails against the booth table and continued without either of you prompting her, “That’s what I wanted to ask you both about: the possible connection between these cases.”

“There definitely is one, and you’re not insane,” you didn’t hesitate. You watched Sae take another dish from the conveyor belt, minding the way she gripped the ceramic like she would a struggling, live animal; Sae’s anger and stress typically blurred into one, just as it was right now.

“I believe there is one, and I’m sure many others in the group do, as well,” Goro said, gesturing vaguely with his hand. “It’s a shame that we’re not taken too seriously. But I do believe what we are doing is the right course of action. Hopefully, we can persuade the government to assist us one way or another.”

“And hopefully _fast_ , so you don’t lose your position,” you mentioned between a sip of your tea. You still had your theory that _someone_ was behind the sudden breakdowns, but it was a bit too early in the investigation for you to bring that up; you had no evidence to cite it, anyhow, and although stupid deductions were your brand, this one was _very_ supernatural.

“Since the director is not very fond of sucking up–” Goro began in probably the most sinister way possible, and you looked at him fearfully with your hand frozen on the sushi in your mouth. “–maybe we can start with convincing Yamamura-san to have another conference with the higher-ups.”

Sae’s phone vibrated as the screen lit up with a text, but she only glimpsed at it before looking back up at Goro. You wished you were gifted with the power to read upside-down so you could read the contact name. “It’s about all we can do…” she muttered, clearly not pleased with the uncertainty of these events. You had to agree that the idea of the case getting abruptly ripped from beneath your feet like a rug wasn’t very appealing, though.

Sae turned to you, which was what snapped you out of your thoughts. “Do you have any opinions, (F/N)-san?”

None that were reasonable. You drummed your fingers on your phone, which had been lying face-down for most of the time you’d been here. “Not really. I have the least power between the three of us because you’ve been at this department longer, so I would have to agree with Goro’s idea for now.”

Goro eyed you, and you wanted badly to shriek religious enchantments meant to ward off detectives and their nosy questionings like the demons they were. But instead, you looked over at him and made eye contact, attempting to silently communicate that nothing was wrong and that _he_ was the weird one for staring. He kept your gaze for a moment to read your face, and you hoped you passed his test.

While this was happening, Sae glanced at her phone for the time and asked, “Our hour’s almost up; are you two ready?”

You and Goro pulled yourselves to look away, both nodding in response. Sae glimpsed around the store to find your waiter, and you realized you hadn’t established something that you should have from the very beginning– “Wait, who’s paying?” you asked.

All three of you blinked at once, and then glanced at the stacks of plates you had all arranged so the waiter could count the total; oh god, you didn’t even realize you had picked up six plates, alone.

Then, as if cued, you and Goro instantly turned your heads to Sae with begging looks that would put a three-month-old puppy to shame.

–The prosecutor sighed, already removing her wallet from her purse. “You two are hopeless.” But then she added – quieter like it pained her to say, “However, I was planning to pay, anyway, to treat you both for working so hard.”

You and Goro blinked, too taken aback to even glance at one another in fear of who this woman was and what she did with Sae, but she continued, “These cases aren’t easy, and you’ve been working diligently not only on your own but with the task force, as well. Your work is really appreciated.”

You sat there, dumbfounded because A) you had learned nothing in the past six months of how to accept compliments, and B) _Sae_ was _complimenting_ you?? The same Sae who struggled to mutter a “good work” when you turned in files?

“We try our best,” Goro eventually said with a smile, because he was just as terrible at responding to praise as you were. “Thank you – it means a lot coming from you, Sae-san.”

And then there was your tragic acknowledgment, where you playfully held your chin and grinned while you said, “Be careful, Sae-san – if you keep giving me approval like that, you’re going to become my designated mother figure in no time.”

Sae’s expression instantly lowered into the specific glare of disappointment she gave you more often than you wanted to admit. “I’m going to give you the full bill,” she threatened, and your smile drifted to one of soulless heartbreak. _Pain._


	7. Trains and Chess

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The trains are delayed, and you let Goro spend the wait at your flat. Turns out, he's really good at chess.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the way that i've been trying to finish this chapter for four weeks<<<< i just want to write my dumb goro akechi fanfiction and life tries to come for me
> 
> also ok this one is a little long i got a bit carried away; goro + dogs in the same chapter needs at Least 4000 words

**Date: April 2016**

It was a Friday evening after a long week in the unit. The work was neverending, especially now with the course load of being a second-year weighing on your back. 

The sun had set and Yamamura dismissed almost everyone, praising their work. So one could imagine the panic that broke out when Mitsuru cried in a crowded room, “The trains are delayed?” 

People whipped out their phones in an instant to check the train schedule – minus you, who were blessed with living down the street – and multiple groans and grumbles of annoyance sounded. You looked over Goro’s shoulder at his screen as he and Sae both checked, the latter muttering under her breath. 

“This is karma for not solving the shutdown cases fast enough,” you cracked but were cut off by someone else’s complaints.

“Check your emails!” was a cry that came out clearer atop the voices, and people quieted down a bit as they searched their digital inboxes. 

You checked your phone this time because you knew Goro would give you the silent treatment if you accidentally read his emails (you knew from experience). Lo and behold, an email sat at the top of your inbox from mere minutes ago. It was from the director, outlining the train delays with an attached file of the open-to-change schedule, and giving people the option to stay at the building until their trains arrived. He added that those who had available cars should generously carpool with their coworkers. 

“Of course this happens when my car is getting inspected,” Sae grouched, but you could barely hear her over the conversation in the room that was making your ears haywire. 

“It doesn’t look like there will be any available taxis anytime soon, either, with the traffic…” Goro glanced around at the small groups forming of those fortunate enough to have cars. “What a pain. It looks like I won’t be leaving until nine.”

You watched the stiffness in his shoulders, the distant exhaustion in his squinted eyes that he would never admit to. Goro had been working a lot lately. “You guys can come to my flat if you want – until your trains get here,” you offered, but you knew you’d force them to if they didn’t accept so it wasn’t much of an offer.

Sae begrudgingly turned off her phone. “Thank you, but I have to run some errands, anyway. I’ll keep myself busy – I just hope Makoto will be okay…”

“Your sister?” Your eyes sparkled, and Sae looked at you the way she had when you interrogated her with the suspicion she had stolen your crackers last month. You had yet to meet Sae’s younger sister, and you recently hadn’t stopped bothering her about it.

“Why are you so concerned about my sister?” she sighed. 

“Because I want to meet her!” you exclaimed. Goro blinked, stuck between you and Sae as you bickered. “I would want to meet a mini-Sae any day!”

“I should get going,” Sae cut you off with a clear desire to leave, which honestly made you grin harder. “I trust that you’ll be the voice of reason to keep both of you safe, Akechi-kun?”

“I can definitely try,” Goro played along, and you wanted to frown. Yep, you were just an oblivious child who had trouble walking down the street to your house.

“Good.” Her face abruptly twisted with suspicious disgust in a way that made you and Goro pause. “And– …don’t _do_ anything while you’re at your apartment together.”

It didn’t even take a second to pass for you to shriek, “ _Of course we wouldn’t!_ ” 

Goro seemed too taken aback to even respond, but Sae glanced at him and he squeezed out, “That shouldn’t even be a concern.”

Sae left after you gave her a half-minded wave, which she merely glanced at. Everyone had been a bit more stressed recently. 

“Do you think she’s okay?” you asked anyway, turning your attention to Goro. The room had quieted to normal chatter and you could now speak in a hushed tone. 

“In my understanding, she’s been carrying a lot,” he responded, using the hand not holding his briefcase to touch his chin. “It’s understandable for her to feel under pressure, just like the rest of us, especially with her position and the expectations placed on her. But I’m sure she’ll be fine.”

You stared off at where Sae had vanished down the corridor. “Yeah…” You hoped so.

“Are you ready? I don’t exactly want to spend my Friday night here,” Goro said, and you blinked. Most people had filed out by then, either with rides or a resolve to not stay in the building while they waited.

“You’d rather spend a Friday night with me?” you poked because why not, beginning toward the elevator. He caught up to you.

“Never, but it appears I have no choice right now,” he shot back, and your mouth fell open at the wound he’d created.

“Ouch,” but you were grinning. Goro had been to your apartment before; two times, to be exact. So this wasn’t _new_ , but still unusual. “Right when I was about to say I could order food.”

Goro looked at you, pressing the button for the elevator. “Oh? What did you have in mind?”

“I don’t know. I was in the mood for udon.” You had been actually planning to eat udon and binge anime in the dark to avoid your schoolwork, but this was a pleasant change to your plans.

“Hmm, that’s fine.”

The temperature had dropped with the approaching darkness, the city painting in the strange transition between the oranges of sunset and purples of nightfall. But you had learned that all it took was a single day above 20 degrees Celsius for the building to turn on the air conditioning, so you often dressed in layers for work, anyway. You cursed the ventilation plant controlling the air and heating at least once every day. The staff must have been filled with temperature-play-obsessed psychopaths who enjoyed watching you slip your sweater on and off in a confusion all day.

“I hope you don’t mind if I do some work at your flat,” Goro said as you both advanced down the sidewalk. 

“Sure – you have to keep up with your work since you’re a senior now, anyway,” you grinned at him. 

He squinted his eyes. “Don’t remind me,” he muttered; you probably hadn’t been the first to say that to him. 

“Just make sure you don’t get– what is it called? Senioritis?” 

“That’s not an option,” Goro declared. “I have to keep my grades and work performance in check this year.”

“That’s what they all say…” you giggled, and his eyes narrowed even further somehow. “I technically should be doing my work before I fall behind, too…” Your shoulders dropped. Even though you _really_ didn’t want to. _Goodbye, anime movie night…_

Goro glanced over at you. “Speaking of, are your teachers flexible with your work schedule and everything?”

You sighed, fixing your bag strap on your shoulder. “Kind of. I had to ask the director to send emails explaining everything to my teachers; they wouldn’t believe me, otherwise,” you answered. “They seemed annoyed about it at first, but I’m actually a decent student so they started laying off of me more. I still have to go to school at least twice a week, though.”

“It’s been the same for me,” Goro added. “They luckily let me off the hook a lot. I mostly learn the material on my own and do well on tests and assignments without help, which puts the teachers in an awkward position.”

You opened the door to your apartment building, and Goro followed. “You’re lucky. I guess my school’s more intense because of scholarship stuff.”

Goro’s eyes snapped over to your face. “You go to Kosei on a scholarship?” he asked, baffled. You both had begun up the stairs.

You laughed sheepishly. “Yeah… how else do you think I would pay for it?”

“That’s… wow.” Goro pushed some hair from his face. “I didn’t know that. That’s impressive.”

You let out another nervous laugh, stopping in front of your door. “Yee– It’s hard, though. I almost got kicked out last year because my grades weren’t high enough.”

“Really?”

“Mmm,” you adjusted your keys in the lock. “Last year was rough. School wasn’t really at the top of my mind.”

You unlocked the door and Goro let you step inside first, following after you. He didn’t ask any more about your first year.

Flicking on the light and stepping out of your shoes, the first thing you saw was Nao rushing up to greet you – before he saw Goro and promptly scurried back into your bedroom. 

You tried to call him to show that Goro wasn’t an intruder who would pluck his brain out of his big dog skull, but you knew he wouldn’t be comfortable for a little while. 

Nao was skittish, to put it simply. He didn’t exactly have a good past, and neither did you. Maybe that was why you found so much solace in each other. 

The embodiment of a gentle giant, the St. Bernard’s size was intimidating (he came up to your hip standing normally and weighed a good 80 kilograms) but he ran at the first sight of a stranger. It didn’t help that he got stared at a lot, as large dogs weren’t very common in the area and he could probably pass as a small bear. Goro had managed to earn some of his trust in the two times he had visited with a lot of dog treats, but it was as if he had to re-earn it each time. 

“I think you’ll have to get him to like you again,” you said. You turned on the table lamp in the living room and were hit with the blooming satisfaction of finally being home. 

Your flat’s kitchen connected to your living room, so the only hidden rooms were your bedroom, bathroom, and laundry room. One of your best investments was the kotatsu you kept between your couch and the TV, which made the fact you paid nearly a third of your paycheck for it at the time worth it. You didn’t have much money when first renting the space, so it was relieving to watch the clutter build up in the past year and a half – showing actual signs of life. You’d had more than enough experience living minimally.

Goro was smiling at the empty space Nao had vanished into, the most genuine you had seen all day. You were glad Goro wasn’t a heartless person who hated animals; he just didn’t have much experience with them. He never struck you as a dog person, though… maybe? “Hopefully this time it will stick,” he replied, setting down his briefcase by the door.

That was when Nao peeked out of your room, standing in the doorway and watching you with large eyes. But then he made eye contact with Goro and he was already rushing back in with a whimper. 

A laugh bubbled out of you at that, but you wandered to the counter to set your stuff down as you called, “It’s okay, Nao – do you want food?” 

The pacing in your room stopped, and there were no dog eyes peeping out this time but you could tell you captured his attention.

You noticed Goro lingering awkwardly by the door like he didn’t know what to do with himself. “You can sit down wherever. I need to feed him,” you added. Goro had visited few enough times that you still had to stick to proper _guest etiquette,_ hence why you offered, “Did you need anything? Were you still up for udon?”

“No, that’s fine.” He finally roamed to the living room and sat down on the couch, albeit a bit stiffly – you were thankful you had cleaned this morning – and you left him alone for a minute as you opened the dog food in the laundry room. That managed to lure Nao out, and he eyed Goro sheepishly as he crept in, probably weighing the pure terror with the desire for food. 

“Okay…” You placed the full dog food bowl on the floor; Nao began eating immediately, seemingly forgotten about Goro. You opened a restaurant’s website on your phone, scrolling through as you chose your order. When done, you approached Goro with your phone out and said, “Here. You can get whatever you want.”

Goro eyed your phone for a second before accepting it, beginning to glance over the menu. “Are you sure?”

“Yuppers. I just got paid,” you grinned, and the spirit in your tone made him chuckle. 

“All right, then.”

Goro usually seemed uncomfortable when he visited – you knew it wasn’t anything against you, and he had explained before that he just wasn’t used to it, but it still made you feel guilty. And that’s when you realized he was still wearing his coat because of the reserved houseguest he was.

“I’m sorry– I can take your coat,” you fretted. The detective blinked, probably forgetting he was even wearing it, and he watched you outstretch your hands.

“Oh… thank you.” He began unfastening the buttons and he slipped it off to reveal a short-sleeved dress shirt beneath it. You accepted it from him and folded it the best you could to set it on a stool by the counter island. Goro looked just a bit more eased now. Maybe you did something right.

He returned your phone and you checked to make sure the order was right before inputting your card information. With the notification that the food would be delivered in about thirty minutes, you could relax a little.

Nao had found his way back to Goro again, standing a good meter away and watching like the detective was an exploding lab experiment. Goro cautiously stared back, his finger frozen on his phone screen, and Nao looked at you as if searching for feedback. 

You all stayed still, frozen in wait, until the dog sped up to Goro with his tail down so he could smell him. When Goro held out a gloved hand, Nao accepted the invitation to sniff and – slowly, with the biggest cliffhanger you had ever witnessed – allowed him to pet him. 

“Yayyy–” You smiled in relief as Nao smelled Goro’s leg before rubbing against him. Goro scratched his neck as he did so, giving Nao enough energy to plow over a bus. He was always like this; he acted terrified and shy around strangers, but once he got comfortable, his enthusiasm gave you whiplash.

“Do you remember me again?” Goro smiled, letting his legs get rubbed to ash as Nao mercilessly nuzzled him. Okay, this may have been the most wholesome thing you had ever seen. 

Goro now had a clingy Nao to handle as he settled into his work. He sat on a cushion at the kotatsu, reading something on his phone. You took it as a sign to start glancing over your papers, taking the liberty of turning on some background music from one of those quiet lofi playlists so it wouldn’t be so silent between you. This didn’t ease the fact that Nao was currently _staring_ _directly_ at Goro from the couch, not even glancing away once as if waiting for him to commit a crime.

You sorted through your papers, and Goro began his customary detective snooping when his attention wavered. He eyed your apartment in more detail now, and you knew you wouldn’t be able to stop him even if you wanted to so you just continued reading the documents.

You didn’t realize just how much work you had until you were looking at it, laid out on the counter, not to mention the schoolwork you had to catch up on. If you thought keeping up with your work first year was difficult, you were really in for a rude awakening this year. Goro’s voice interrupted your small panic.

“You have chess?” his words made you blink and glance up to see what he was looking at. His attention was now on the shelves beneath your TV, the lingering mess you’d been unable to clean of board games, video games, and textbooks. 

You perked up. “Oh, yeah, my mom used to play chess with me all the time.” Realizing the sour mood behind your response, you quickly added, “Did you wanna play?”

Though hesitant, Goro nodded. “If you don’t mind. I’m curious to see how you play.”

You took the opportunity as an excuse to not think about your work for a moment, so you fluttered over to the living room to plop down across from him at the kotatsu. You slid the box out from between some board games and opened the box – which had only collected a bit of dust because you happened to have a friend you played chess with sometimes – and set down the board, but you both froze when it came to the pieces. 

As if reading your mind, Goro looked at you and said, “I hope you don’t mind if I choose white.”

“Nope– I’m paying for your food, you can let me choose white,” you insisted, and Goro’s face twisted up.

“Isn’t it proper manners to let your guest have the first pick?” he didn’t give in. “I want to be white.”

You snorted, surrendering, "Okay, fine, king."

Ignoring you, he unzipped the small bag holding the white chess pieces while you stifled your giggles. You each set up your sides of the board, and Nao hadn’t moved his eyes from Goro the entire time. You had the feeling that Goro would win and he was secretly a legend at chess, but you still wanted to play, anyway.

The game started fine; you weren’t exceptional at chess but you generally knew what most people’s first moves were, so you could make moves based on that. Of course, Goro caught on and changed his strategy, seeing that you actually knew what you were doing and him acting to his full ability wouldn’t be overkill. Nao finally drifted to sleep with your stillness.

“How much have you played? I didn’t expect you would be one for chess, let alone be this good at it,” Goro said while contemplating his move; they were always direct and swift, probably a metaphor symbolizing him. You eyed the clock between your turns, desperately hoping your food would get here soon.

“Well, I played with my mom a lot when I was little, and then I started again in the past year when I actually met people who liked playing,” you explained, watching his hand linger above a Rook in thought before retracting it. “Hence why I have it here– I also became a god in one of those online chess websites, when they match you with a random person– watching people close their tabs when they saw that I was going to win gave me enough dopamine to make it through the week.”

His shoulders shook as he exhaled through his nose, smiling. “I use those sometimes, too. It’s a good way to learn about different strategies and opponents.”

If Goro were anyone else, he would have glimpsed pointedly around your flat (which you clearly lived alone in) at the mention of your mother, and ask a curious " _Where_ is _your mother?_ " But he didn't, and he never did. Neither of you dug into each other's history even when it seemed like common sense to, and it honestly added an element of safety.

“You seem like you would like websites like that.” Another glance at the clock, and then you realized it was your turn. Oh, fuck, he captured one of your pieces and you hadn’t even noticed. “Because you’re evil and would feel pride from annihilating strangers on an online chess game. Oh my God – what if we’ve anonymously played each other before and now we’re playing for real?”

“That would be amusing.” Goro leaned back, supporting his weight on his right hand as you made your move. “Though, I have been looking for a chess partner for a while, unless you were willing to take that role?”

You smiled, “Ooh, I don’t know; being chess partners sounds a little too intimate.”

“You’re getting clumsy,” Goro commented, your only warning before he had snatched another pawn right off the board.

“It’s not my fault that a psychopath who somehow still has the brain energy to play chess on a Friday night after work got me to play a game.” You had to focus, but making your brain work right now was like pulling a bull with a string.

“You were the one who offered.” Fuck, he was right.

“ _Shhhhu…_ ” You began to tell him to shut it because you were too tired to deal with his witty comments right now, but your attention directed to a piece you just captured. 

There was a knock on the door and you immediately perked up. “AAA- FINALLY. _Udooon–_ ” You jumped up from the table to answer the door with a suddenness that made Nao wake up and follow after you. “Do not move my pieces,” you ordered, picking up a few hundred yen from the counter to tip the delivery man. 

“Do you really think of me as such an unfair player?” Goro said with the most unreliable tone ever, and you shot him a look over your shoulder.

You placed the food on the counter – away from the papers burning into your consciousness – and separated your order from Goro’s. He walked up to the counter and you had to squeeze around each other to wash your hands – and for Goro, remove his gloves. Only when you both settled back into your spots (now with food, drinks, and also Nao staring over your shoulders) did you ask, “Any news with the trains?”

“No, I don’t believe so.” Goro unlocked his phone to check again, opening his container of food. He shook his head after glancing at the webpage again. “Some trains are working again, but mine won’t come for another twenty minutes.”

“Did you want to take a break from chess while we eat? We can watch something,” you suggested, but Goro gave you a determined look that you usually only saw at crime scenes when he was following a lead.

“Nope, we’re playing this through to the end,” he stated, and your eyes widened, noodles hanging halfway out of your mouth. He really was committed to winning.

“…Okay, fine. Is it my move?” 

Circling around the chessboard between bites of food became your pastime for the following twenty minutes. You made a comeback with food to fuel your thinking power, but it was ultimately inevitable that–

“Checkmate,” you blinked at Goro’s declaration, not even processing the loss. You stared with your mouth slightly agape at the poor King you couldn’t save from an enemy trap. 

“…I–” You gradually came to accept your defeat like cycling through the stages of grief. You stuffed some noodles into your mouth to comfort yourself. 

“That was a good game,” Goro decided, though. He was smiling, seemingly refreshed from the exhausted mood he had been in. “I don’t think I’ve had such a reciprocal opponent in a while. Thank you.”

You smiled and chirped, “It was fun. If you want to play chess over udon again, I’m here.”

Slowly, he smiled. “Thank you,” he repeated, and then checked his phone. “The train is coming in a few minutes. I should leave now.”

He began to pick up his nearly empty bowl, but you stopped him, “I’ll clean up your food, don’t worry.”

Goro glanced at the food and drinks lining the kotatsu before looking back up at you. “Are you sure?”

“Yeah, I don’t mind! And you’d be late, anyway,” you insisted.

You watched as Goro picked up his phone and stood up. “Thank you for the food, by the way,” he spoke, stretching a bit as he approached his coat still folded on the counter’s stool; Nao woke up at the movement and trailed him. 

You stood up, nearly tripping on your feet. “I can walk to the station with you.”

Goro shook his head, looking at you as he slipped on his coat. “No, it would be best that you didn’t walk back on your own.”

You wanted to insist that you would be fine and you’d had plenty of experience walking around the city at times much later than this, but you gave in at that because you didn’t exactly feel like leaving, anyway.

Goro made sure he wasn’t forgetting anything before grabbing his briefcase. Nao eyed him like he was a thousand-year-old statue that had just moved on its own, so Goro reached down and scratched his head as he locked eyes with you. “I’ll see you on Monday. Thank you, again.”

“Be careful,” you said, and the comment made Goro pause for a moment. Eventually, he nodded, and he quickly left. You locked the door behind him. You didn’t doubt he would make it to the station, even if he only had a few minutes; he was a fast walker.

You affectionately rubbed the fat on Nao’s face with both hands, praising him for behaving well, and then got to work. You still had a lot to do tonight, and now one less extra hour to do it.

It was only after you had cleaned up your flat and showered did your phone buzz on the kotatsu where you had left it. You made your way over, picking up your phone to read your text.

_**Gorororo:** I got home a little while ago, by the way. I forgot to tell you._

Yes, Goro did eagerly roll his eyes at you a few months ago when he saw the contact name you had given him.

**_Gorororo:_** _Tonight was refreshing. That was the first time I’ve enjoyed time with someone in a while._

**_You:_** _I'm_ _glad I could be of support uwu_

**_You:_** _It_ _was fun to see you_

**_You:_ ** _Good_ _luck with your work tho <3 _

**_Gorororo:_ ** _Thanks. The same for you_

_**You:** Did_ _you wanna play chess again next week?_


	8. Change of Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The name "Kamoshida" is all you've been hearing recently.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> content warning: everything related to Kamoshida's abuse and Shiho's suicide attempt
> 
> we’re getting to the point in the fic where possible trigger warnings are needed; i’ll try to address them as much as i can at the start of the needed chapter 
> 
> i also changed the rating to mature just because it seemed more appropriate// and also the game itself is rated M so i guess that’s indicative enough… still no s-s-segs in this fic but some of the topics are a bit too heavy for Teen™ territory i think
> 
> don't mind me while i change some formatting from the previous chapters>>

**Date: April 2016**

You were going to school today.

Coincidentally on the day of an advanced biology test you forgot to study for, but you weren’t too concerned… yet (thank you, science center). 

Through some means of a miracle and also riding on a wave of adrenaline until 2 A.M., you had officially caught up on your schoolwork and work-work. Your eyes were a bit squinted as you walked down the sidewalk toward Kosei. The sun hurt. And it was all at the expense of forgetting about your _stupid bio test._ You– 

You paused at the sound of your name. You turned to see two girls rushing up to you, phones out as they squeezed through oblivious students to reach you. 

Those two friends from Kosei who constantly helped you catch up with work and happened to be some of the best people in your life? That was them. 

All three of you were in the school’s science program, a small, tight-knit group of dedicated students who constantly depended on each other because of the rigorous course load. Those in the program were often ostracized as the geeks and nerds of Kosei, or “the weird side of the school,” as you overheard a girl say one time. 

Kibe Mahalia, a Filipino-Japanese biracial who constantly made jokes about the fact she could readily switch between three languages when she pleased, was a girl of average height with shoulder-length brown hair (you and many other people in the small science center recognized a lot of Filipino swear words because of her, and it became something of an inside joke). She was the loudest and most outspoken between the three of you, well-liked in school because of her goofiness. 

Her family had practically become your own, nearly accepting you as a long-lost daughter when they learned of your situation. You had gifted her a key to your flat so she could feed Nao when you worked late since you lived within walking distance of each other.

The other, Sawada Yuriko, was a taller girl easily identified by the long, healthy hair that reached her hips. She was the quietest, but it didn’t make her any less chaotic when in your company. She was also the artsiest, extraordinary with anything creative from painting and pottery to writing; Yuriko had the best of both worlds to be skilled in science and art.

The three of you were incredibly smart, but together you seemed to share one brain cell. They had stuck with you through the worsts.

But now they were rushing up to you, and you thought it was because you were actually at school today but then Mahalia immediately shoved her phone in your face and yelped, “Did you hear?! About Shujin?”

Walking alongside them now, you pulled her wrist back so you could read her screen even slightly. The words read, _“Ominous ‘Calling Card’ Pasted in Shujin Hallways Early This Morning.”_

“No?” you murmured, taking her phone to scroll through the news article. It was posted just an hour ago.

“Their volleyball coach – Kamoshida? Someone apparently put up a bunch of posters saying they would ‘change his heart,’” Mahalia continued, blabbering. Yuriko was engrossed in the same article on her own phone. “I just played Shujin’s team in a practice game two weeks ago! Have you seen how tall he is?”

“Wait, wait– What does this mean?” You blinked, walking up the steps into school grounds. ‘Change his heart’? What did that even mean?

“I don’t know, but police are there now,” Mahalia said, not quieting her voice until you entered the school doors. 

“We thought you would be there investigating,” Yuriko added and finally looked up at you. 

“No, I didn’t even hear about this,” you said. The three of you glanced around, noticing more students on their phones than usual and enthusiastically whispering amongst each other. News had spread quickly, it seemed.

Mahalia tried to yank her phone out of your hands, but your attention centered on the journalist’s photos of the ‘calling card’; the first of the entire wall, littered with posters of red and black lined up on school bulletin boards, and the second picture of the card up close. Writing that sounded straight out of a movie was on one side and a cartoonish hat with a sharp-toothed grin and the words ‘ _Take Your Heart_ ’ were scrapped on the other. It must have been a prank, right? But you had been hearing rumors about Kamoshida abusing his students for a while, so maybe it was a bit more believable than you thought.

“Maybe it was someone friends with Suzui-san, you know, with everything that happened,” Mahalia suggested, looking over your shoulder at the pictures. 

A girl on the volleyball team, Suzui Shiho, had recently attempted suicide on Shujin’s campus. She luckily survived but was now under intent medical surveillance. The strangest thing was that no one bothered to investigate much; you had learned most of the information that you knew about Suzui through some late-night digging. You hadn’t been able to find much dirt on Kamoshida since he was a highly-esteemed Olympic medalist. 

But it was as if Shujin threw a rug over Suzui’s suicide attempt and refused to acknowledge it. Along with _this_ now – the calling card – all in the same month, this didn’t do Shujin’s image any favors.

“…Does everyone know about this?” you asked, letting Mahalia snatch her phone back.

“I guess so. People have been posting about it,” she answered while skimming through the webpage one last time. “Do you think you’re going to investigate it?”

“Maybe. Probably not, though,” you replied. You both followed Yuriko as she retrieved a notebook from her bag. As you glanced at the neatly written notes, you had a sinking realization. _Bio test._ “Can we go to the science hall? I forgot to study for the biology test today,” you requested, but Mahalia swung an arm over your shoulder.

“We did, too!” she laughed as if it were hilarious; Yuriko gave her a scared smile. “You’re going to ace it, anyway.”

* * *

Work was strangely– calm.

You half-expected to see people rushing around to respond to this possible threat to high school staff, but it looked like any other day. 

Cautious, like someone placed you into a weirdly perfect dreamworld, you made your way to your office to pick up your work for the day. 

_‘Changing his heart’?_ You just couldn’t wrap your head around it. Was it a threat or a weird torture technique? And considering the fact that some students most likely posted it… If it _was_ a prank, the people responsible had a good sense of humor.

You crossed paths with Goro on the way and greeting him felt uncomfortably normal.

“I didn’t think you were coming,” he commented, no briefcase in hand. He must have been here for a little while.

“I had to stay behind to take a quiz,” you answered, just build-up for you to jump into, “Did you hear about the stuff at Shujin?”

Goro’s face didn’t change. “Yes, I did. I overheard a few conversations from police about it, but–” He glanced around the room, where some coworkers lingered around. “We probably shouldn’t talk about it out here.”

You nodded and gently grabbed his wrist. “Could you come here, then? I need help with something, anyway.”

He barely nodded and you were already guiding him along behind you.

“You’re really clingy with people, you know?” he muttered, and it sounded like it was supposed to be a complaint but his voice didn’t sound too different from normal.

He wasn’t exactly wrong. Anyone even slightly friendly with you knew how affectionate you were. If there were a personification of the “Physical Touch” love language, it would probably be you. Unfortunately, it led to a lot of misinterpretations and rumors, especially at school.

Goro’s internal system had deactivated the first time you physically touched him for more than two seconds, back in January; he stared like you had just stabbed him through the stomach rather than gently grabbed his wrist to excitedly pull him to the lab.

Because of your intent touchiness, your Touch-Starved Radar had grown very accurate over the years, and you couldn’t help but have the lingering suspicion that– Akechi Goro was touch-starved. You didn’t know what to do with that information, but you theorized it, nonetheless.

“It’s not my fault that all of my friends deserve love and affection,” you joked back, turning the corner to your office. 

You closed the door behind you and released his arm, and he seemed to reload like a lagging Chrome page before returning to normal.

After being here for a few months, you'd been able to decorate your office more with photos, a couple of plants, and a diffuser for essential oils (Sae said the director would throw you out if you dared to bring a candle). You had invested in one of those convenient L-shaped desks, which could now hold a few more stacks of papers.

As you set your belongings down along your desk, you said, “People have been talking about Kamoshida all day. One of my teachers had to start the class with a lecture about not supporting or talking about pranks like that.”

“It was the same at my school, too. But I haven’t heard much news about it since this morning,” Goro answered, and you leaned back against your desk as you turned to face him. 

“What have the police been saying about it?”

He brushed his hand against his hip as if wiping it, one of his unconscious habits. “They don’t seem too worried if I’m being honest. They’re focused on trying to find who did it, but it’s not seen as much of a threat.”

You glanced downward, gripping the edge of your desk. “I figured…” you murmured, but then couldn’t help but ramble, “It’s really weird, though. It would probably be funny if it wasn’t so close behind what happened with Suzui-san.”

“It’s not every day you see a calling card sent under an alias and addressed to a problematic teacher.” Goro’s eyes drifted away in thought. “Though… I’d like to see how it ends.”

You did, too. Especially if Kamoshida was as awful as you’d heard him to be. 

After explaining to Goro what you actually needed help with, you both agreed to seek out better answers from Mitsuru.

You found her in the break room, loitering around with some other coworkers while watching the news on the wall-mounted TV. They chatted amongst themselves. The break room constantly smelled of coffee and it was the one room in the unit where everyone could get away with laughing and joking. It separated into four circular tables, each with four chairs, and a small kitchen setup. 

You and Goro asked Mitsuru a few quiet questions about a recent case, and just began to leave when you overheard the news anchor say, “ _Shujin Academy’s having a rough time at the moment with a threat aimed at their volleyball coach, Kamoshida Suguru_.”

You stopped and looked back at the TV, and Goro paused when he noticed your disappearance. 

Everyone in the room seemed to silence, listening intently as the reporter talked about what had happened earlier.

“ _This morning, students and staff arrived at Shujin to find papers lined on a bulletin board, which many have been labeling as ‘calling cards,’ with the threat to make Coach Kamoshida expose his supposed crimes._ _Police cannot identify a motive or culprit behind this prank, but it is deduced to be a Shujin student or staff member._ ”

The channel only spent about two minutes reviewing the ‘calling card’ case; it clearly wasn’t much of a concern, or it at least wasn’t taken too seriously. You still watched the screen as the reporter began talking about a running scandal with a modeling business. 

“They were quick to call this a prank,” Goro commented quietly enough that only you heard. He glanced up at the coworkers who had been listening in, now returning to their previous conversations. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like this. At least they were creative.”

You hadn’t, either. You wished you had more friends from Shujin who could give you information; not that anyone seemed to know any more than the next person, though.

“Neither of you go to Shujin, right?” Mitsuru asked, holding her coffee mug away from her face.

You and Goro looked up at her, shaking your heads. From the awkward distance, a few others eavesdropped on Mitsuru as she said, “If either of you find anything about the calling card case, you should let the public investigators know. You’re in a better position than the officers since you can overhear info from your peers.” 

Leaned back with one leg crossed over the other, she took another sip from her coffee as she focused back on the screen. She almost reminded you of someone relaxing at a bar with a drink, not at work downing an espresso. You both politely agreed with small bows, and Mitsuru dismissed you. 

You waited until you were some distance away from the break room before asking, “Do you think all of this is a prank?”

Goro hummed, thinking to himself, before responding, “Maybe. I’m not too concerned about it.”

Your eyes drifted away. “I guess we shouldn’t be. Stuff like this happens all the time.”

“Though – I do have a bit of a theory,” he said, and your eyes snapped back up to him. 

“You do? What is it?”

Your eyes began sparkling with curiosity, but Goro quickly shut you down, “Not telling.”

You immediately went back to pouting. “Aww, you’re the worst.” He tended to keep his deductions to himself until he could prove them, anyway. Or, at most, he would tell you so you both could search into it. You supposed now was the time for him to be secretive.

“At least neither of us have to investigate it,” Goro mentioned, much more light-hearted. “It will likely settle itself once they find who posted the cards.”

You laughed, though it sounded forced and nervous. “Yeah – it was probably a joke to get back at Kamoshida, anyway.”

It wasn’t.

Exactly a week later, you and Goro were gaping over your kotatsu at the reveal that Kamoshida Suguru had abruptly broken into a Shujin assembly and confessed to his crimes. Abusing teenagers, taking advantage of his female students, _everything_ , just swept out on the Shujin assembly hall’s stage.

Neither of you had access to the case – especially now since you both were minors – but you watched from afar (and also received forbidden knowledge from Sae) as everything unfolded. 

You both had been letting out shocked rambles earlier, like _how on earth could someone just expose themself so easily?_ But now all you could do was sit in near silence over your chessboard.

“Have you heard anything about who it might have been?” you asked as you watched him move a chess piece, your eyes following his hand. All that you had learned from chess with him was that Goro had nice hands.

“Not at all,” he answered, but he didn’t seem upset by the fact. Nao had settled against his leg on the floor, so Goro had to rub him with his free hand or else endure a horrific death via puppy eyes. “Authorities just know it was most likely a Shujin student. But to make him confess like that… If his confession was even genuine; it may have been staged.”

This was making less and less sense. You didn’t even know why you were thinking about it – it wasn’t like this was a case you had to solve, nor did it involve you at all. But the videos you had seen – this intimidating, proud coach suddenly a remorseful mess on his knees in front of the entire student body – he seemed nothing _but_ genuine. But was that more suspicious? Oh… 

“I wonder how it even happened…” you murmured and carefully moved your King piece back. You slouched into the table, resting your head on your arm.

“People have been saying that it’s like he was a different person,” Goro replied, rubbing his eye with one hand. 

Your eyes focused on an unimportant square on the chessboard. “That’s what I heard, too.”

“ _Volleyball coach and Olympic medalist Kamoshida Suguru confessed to numerous crimes earlier today._ ”

You both looked up at the TV, and you reached for the remote to increase the volume a bit. 

The reporter simply reviewed the facts you already knew, explaining the rumors circulating Kamoshida, the ‘calling card,’ and his odd meltdown today. Dumb news reporter.

Goro looked at you, stare calculated. “What do you think of this? You look like you’re thinking hard,” he asked, and you pulled yourself out of your daze.

“Uh… I don’t really know yet.” You lazily moved another piece, lying your head on your arm again. “There have been rumors about Kamoshida abusing students for the past few weeks; even most people from Kosei have heard about it. So I’m more willing to believe them. The card must have been related, right? Plus, the whole thing with Suzui-san, and she was also on the volleyball team.”

“You’d believe rumors?” Goro questioned, more focused on the board than on your face now. 

“I mean, somewhat. I don’t think rumors like that would just come out of nowhere; they must be at least slightly true, especially since no one has bothered to address them, including the principal. Suzui’s… attempt was kinda _quiet,_ you know? Like, it happened, but then no one talked about it.” You leaned up a bit so you could actually see the chessboard, slowly making another move. You were tired. 

Goro hummed, and you didn’t know how he did thinking on top of thinking as he played chess and also debated this with you. “So what you’re saying is, you think the rumors regarding Kamoshida are related to Suzui-san, which then acted as a catalyst for this calling card case because the principal refused to acknowledge the rumors?”

You nodded. You began fidgeting with a pen you’d left on the table. “I guess so. That’s the only thing I can come up with.”

After a few seconds, you murmured, “It’s disgusting.”

Goro looked at you curiously as he moved a Knight. “What’s disgusting?”

“Kamoshida. If what he said was true.” The left side of your face squished against your arm, and you continued twirling your pen. “What he’s done is unforgivable, putting victims into a position where they can’t even speak up against him…” 

Goro sighed quietly. His lip curled downward. “It definitely is disgusting – revolting, really.”

Your jaw tightened, breath growing rigid. “I hate that people have to live through that.” _Just like you._

You had accidentally lit a match and thrown it into the cooling furnace of your anger. It was something you often tried not to touch and instead would leave it to sit, cold and hardened like igneous rocks after a volcano eruption. Goro must have read your unsteady emotions because he quieted. A silence fell between you, but you still proceeded with the chess game. You quickly blew out the small flame before it could spread, and your shoulders loosened a bit. 

Goro broke the silence. “Do you remember the name the culprits wrote on the calling card?”

You blanked out as you thought for a moment, trying to recall the alias you had read just a week before. You were about to unlock your phone and find the news article in your search history, but it came to you, “The Phantom Thieves of Hearts, I think.”

Goro’s eyes fell to the carpet, his lips barely moving as he murmured, “Phantom Thieves…”

You could tell he was about to get stuck in an internal monologue, but you still yanked him out with the words, “I wooooon~”

Goro blinked, surveying the chessboard before realizing you had, in fact, cornered him; a grin slowly spread along your face, and you did a jazz hand with the arm you weren’t lying on.

“Woosh,” you made the sound effect, officially allowing yourself to feel a bit sleepier now that you weren’t in a heavy-duty battle of chess.

“I suppose you did; you caught me off guard.” He smiled, seemingly forgotten about Kamoshida. “Now we’re even. Should we keep a tally?”

 _“Yesh,”_ you replied with a thumbs-up, letting your eyes fall shut for a moment. 

Goro laughed, and the sound was prettier now that you focused on it. “I guess we’re officially 1-to-1,” he chirped with a clear proud motivation, and you forced your eyelids to open. It was nice to actually see him happy. “I’m sorry, you look tired. I should get going,” Goro said, and you nearly broke your spine like a doll so you could sit up. 

“No, don’t worry, this week has just been long. I had fun. You really make me think,” you reassured. Thinking wasn’t always a good thing. 

“That’s my intention,” he said like a psychopath, and you merely groaned at the response. 

_“Goodbye, sir.”_ You gave him a sarcastic glare, to which he only grinned harder and quickly disappeared out the door.

* * *

You felt a bit better today.

Exactly two days following Kamoshida’s confession, detectives had aligned his statement and were now pulling witnesses from Shujin to confirm everything. Now that it was confirmed that Kamoshida was guilty of abuse, you felt more confident that the law would take care of him. You hoped. 

You waited for your train that morning with a bit of relief and faith that things would be better for the victims at Shujin. 

“Hey, watch out.”

“There he is.”

“I’m surprised he hasn’t gotten expelled yet.”

You blinked. A sudden heavy air of anxiety hung over the platform now, and you glanced around to find Shujin students squeezing into tiny circles and intently eyeing a–

Boy.

You looked up at him as he stopped a few feet away from you, clearly trying to migrate to the corner of the platform and out of everyone’s view. You knew well because _you_ liked to stand near the corner. 

Although his shoulders hunched, you could tell he was tall. His hands were stuffed into the pants pockets of his Shujin uniform, unkempt black hair dancing over his circular glasses like vines. For how much some students leaned away from him, you would have thought he was a demon.

Ah. 

You had heard about him; the Shujin transfer student claimed to be charged with assault. You couldn’t quite place his name now, but you could easily ask someone for it. K… Kur…? A– 

“I bet he threatened to kill Kamoshida and that’s why we don’t have him at school anymore…” 

That last comment made him remove his right hand from his pocket and begin twisting the front pieces of his bangs between his fingers. There was an anxious curl to his lip. 

Your mouth tightened into a slight frown. Shujin students were difficult and unforgiving. 

He looked at you and you realized you had been staring. 

You jumped. “Ah, I’m sorry–” He was cute, actually. His eyes seemed almost soft and centered on his pale face. You weren't one to judge, but... he did not strike you as someone capable of assault. Maybe he was quiet and friendly until he snapped? “I’m, uh… sorry that people are really mean. They’ve probably made school rough for you.”

He looked at you for a moment, letting his hand fall back to his side, and you wished you could have thought of something more reassuring to say so you glanced away. 

Your jaw nearly fell open when he actually spoke, “It hasn’t been the easiest.” 

His voice was deep but clear. It was almost soothing in a way, yet not in the same way that Goro’s was. _Maybe I should just tell him to drop out of school and make an ASMR channel._

“Rumors are super annoying. I wish people could mind their own business – maybe actually pass chemistry before they talk badly about other people,” you were rambling, but that was how you accidentally made most of your friends, anyway.

The boy gave you a bit of a smile at that, though it looked tight and hesitant. He turned more toward you, his hand fidgeting to find his pocket. A pin on his blazer informed you that he was a second-year – he was the same age as you. “I’ve never seen you–” 

He was cut off by a quiet rumbling from his stomach that you wouldn’t have been able to hear if you were just a few centimeters further away. His face seemed baffled as he looked back up at you. “Sorry. I didn’t eat breakfast.” His school bag shifted a bit and you thought you heard something, but you didn’t comment; you were probably just tired.

A grin pulled at your lips, and you couldn’t help a small laugh. “You’re fine. Here–” You dug in your bag and pulled out two granola bars, holding them out to him. “I bought one, and the vending machine gave me an extra. You can have both, though – I have a lot of snacks.”

His eyes widened a bit and he stood up straighter, but he still carefully accepted the food from you. “Thank you,” he said quietly, and you smiled. 

“Sure!” You remembered his remark prior to his stomach’s interruption. “And I go to Kosei, so I’ve never seen you, either.” 

He began opening one of the granola bars, and his eyes flashed with confusion for a second. He probably wasn’t familiar with the school, if he was new to the city.

“I heard that Kosei is prestigious,” he said before taking a bite; maybe not. 

You smiled, rocking in place. You heard a train approaching, but it wasn’t yours so you didn’t get antsy. “I hope it is – I really worked my butt off to get in.”

He smiled again, but between his chewing and the train that had stopped for passengers, he couldn’t get another response out before he had to say, “Oh. This is my train.”

You nodded, waving with a grin. “Goodbye. Maybe I’ll see you again?” you spoke as he inched toward the train, still turning his head to face you.

He nodded in return, and you were giddy to see that he was still smiling, too. “Maybe.”

You waved a final time as he disappeared into the crowd of Shujin students, and only once the train left did you take a deep breath. Poor guy. You really hoped he had some friends or something to make his school life easier.

Not even within five minutes of the transfer student’s departure did you hear a soft voice behind you. “Good morning.”

You turned around, happy to see Goro. “Hi! You’re going to school today?” you asked, and he nodded. “You’ve been going more frequently lately.”

“I’ve been turning in work and making up tests. Which reminds me–” His auburn eyes centered on yours, a stare that you once found intimidating but now barely batted an eye to. “You’re good with biology, aren’t you?”

You glanced to the side before looking back at him. “Uh. I guess so,” you answered doubtfully, despite getting your best grades in your science classes every year.

“Could you help me with an assignment later? I want to make sure I know what I’m doing,” he said, and your mouth fell open this time. Akechi Goro… asking you for help…

You just moved your lips and your face must have revealed that you were about to tease him because he quickly deadpanned, “Don't start.”

You pouted and your arms fell limp, making your back hunch dramatically. “Poopy. Fine, I’ll help you.”

You ended up pressed into Goro’s side with your jaw awkwardly brushing his collarbone during the train ride, but it was normal, honestly. He often had to shield you from the rapid movement in the train stations, anyway.

You had learned to ignore any envious or murderous stares from girls, though it didn’t take long for rumors to start circulating about you and Goro. You found it ridiculous, considering you’d never even hugged him, let alone dated him. Did getting squished together on the trains technically count as hugging? Maybe not… 

Wait. Had you really never hugged Goro before? You had barely even thought about it. 

His attention had drifted to the small TV display by the train’s ceiling, but you didn’t notice it too much until you saw an image of Kamoshida in the corner of your eye. 

You looked up (with some strain) and read the news channel’s subtitles as they flashed by the screen, once again talking about the infamous volleyball coach. 

You read the words _“Students at Shujin have voiced their relief of no longer worrying about a criminal wandering the halls”_ and you and Goro exchanged a look. Neither of you spoke, but your faces communicated the same message: something weird was happening.


	9. Stupid Cupid

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Valentine [val-uhn-tahyn]: a written or other artistic work, message, token, etc., expressing affection for something or someone."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okok we’re going back a few months bc i thought of a valentine's day chapter to make up for the fact that i could not give my friends valentines this year >:(

**Date: February 2016**

Valentine’s Day. 

The day of sitting absently while listening to friends, peers, even people you didn’t know ramble about their romantic dates and anxious confessions.

You watched things happen – watched a guy brood about a rejected valentine, watched happy couples intoxicated by high-school romance walk hand-in-hand on the way to class just to get forced apart by a teacher, watched people swarm around the lockers of especially desirable peers as if waiting for a celebrity to sign an autograph. 

There were few in-betweens for Valentine’s Day – either you loved it, or you hated it. More often than not, people fell on the latter scale. It should have been simply named a day for envy rather than love with the rate of contempt felt for it.

Despite all of that, though, you didn’t mind Valentine’s Day. 

In a world surrounded by people either engulfed in love for their partners or living in formidable hatred for this date, you didn’t care too much. You didn’t find any purpose in moping about not having anyone to spend the day with; if anything, your friends were enough. You were too busy balancing work with studying for exams, anyway.

So, instead, you carefully crafted treat bags for your friends each year; homemade cookies and other candies thrown into small gift bags with heart designs and sealed by paper twist ties. You had to data-collect each year to find everyone’s favorite candies, plus any allergies they had. This lessened some of the pain your friends felt in this somehow cursed holiday.

Your bag was 20% schoolwork and 80% valentine gift bags as you walked into school. You attended today solely to give your friends their bags – and also to comfort your friend who had just broken up with her boyfriend three days ago – and you were relieved to finally make it to work that afternoon. You had four more treat bags to give out. 

The extent of your workday was two meetings; one with a general case and another specifically within the task force. You hoped Akechi was here today…

“Good afternoon, (F/N)-san,” you blinked at Sae’s voice as she passed you. 

“Good afternoo– _Wait!”_ Sae stopped in her tracks, and you fumbled in your bag in an effort to not drop anything as you searched for a goodie bag. You managed to find it, carefully shielded behind your notebooks, and you held it out to her. “Aa– here, I made you this.” 

She took it with a suspicious look like you had just given her poison, but you dug in your bag and gave her another. “You can give this one to your sister. I made them for my friends, but I wanted to make you one, too.”

It seemed to dawn on her as she accepted the second bag, eyes softening and carefully examining the contents. “(F/N)-san, this is so sweet, you didn’t have to–”

 _“No! I know I didn’t have to–_ but I wanted to. It’s kind of a tradition,” you blurted the first part, softening to a smile at the end. Sae still didn’t seem to believe it, like she was just holding air in her hands and the bag would fade like some kind of fairy spell, but she was smiling. 

“Thank you. It means a lot,” she eventually said, quieter. You didn’t know you were grinning until you were halfway across the room, after she said, “I’ll see you in a little while at the meeting,” and you waved goodbye. If Akechi wasn’t here, you’d have a few choice words for him tomorrow.

You gave Naoko her bag in secret, so no one would bombard you with sarcastic questionings of ‘where’s my treat bag?’ (you saw enough of the envious looks from classmates earlier), and then anxiously sat through your first meeting. 

You had yet to see Akechi, and his office door was closed. You didn’t want to disturb him – if he was even there. 

Most people had dismissed themselves once the speaker – one of the big dogs in another unit – was done, but you were usually one of the last people to leave your meetings. This led you into a conversation with Mitsuru, who packed her things while you did. 

“Do you have anything planned for Valentine’s Day, (F/N)-san?” she asked, speaking normally since only two other people were in the room with you. “I saw the cute bag you gave Naoko-chan.”

You hid your wince with a small grin. “Nope, I just made my friends valentines.”

“You don’t have a date? I find that hard to believe,” she purred, walking beside you as you exited. 

You flushed in embarrassment, uncomfortable with the topic. You continued to smile in an attempt to conceal it, though your head lowered and you hugged your notes to your chest. “No, I’ve only had one valentine in the entire time I’ve been alive,” you answered. 

“No girls or guys to confess to?” Mitsuru pressed, practically leaning into you. You didn’t mind – this was normal Mitsuru behavior. 

“Nope.”

“You know, there’s always Akechi-kun. I’m pretty sure he doesn’t have a valentine, either,” she piped, and your face scrunched into a scowl. 

“No, Akechi’s just a friend,” you said easily, squeezing your files. “And how did you even find that out?”

“Are you sure? You’ve gotten pretty close in the past few months,” she continued, ignoring your question, and your lips curled downward as you both turned a corner; you could not have a single normal conversation with a detective, it seemed. You were thankful that not many people were around, nor actively listening. Reading your expression, Mitsuru said, “Oooh… is he not your type?”

You began to respond, but another detective slipped by and requested Mitsuru to join her. 

“Well, looks like I have to go,” she chirped, no longer entertained with interrogating you. “See you later!” 

You didn’t even get to reply, and you sighed as the weight of the interaction slid off of you. You were used to people prodding you for the nature of your and Akechi’s relationship, especially since his spontaneous fame, but it was still tiring to debunk the rumors sometimes. 

You didn’t have time to check Akechi’s office between the meetings, instead stopping by the lab. You’d usually cross paths with him by now, though. You could always just give the gift bag to him tomorrow, but then it would lose some meaning.

You were almost late, per courtesy of the lab data, so you and Naoko were among the last to rush in. You both frantically apologized, to which Yamamura ensured you were okay. 

You felt relief upon seeing Akechi among the faces seated at the long table, smiling smugly at you. _You almost make me wish you weren’t here, meanie,_ you pouted at him as you sat across from him, Naoko on your right. 

Once the meeting was over, you overheard Naoko talking to Mitsuru about her supposed date. Because you and Akechi happened to be the last few to leave, you had no choice but to listen. 

“We’re meeting at this expensive restaurant I’ve never heard of,” she hummed to Mitsuru, who eagerly ate up the information like an entertained child. 

“How long have you been together?”

“Four months now.” Naoko scooped up her folders and notes. “I’m honestly surprised. I didn’t like him at first.”

“Just don’t go too far tonight, kiddo,” Mitsuru jested, and Naoko laughed. You and Akechi simultaneously exchanged an awkward look. You both continued quickly collecting your things, not wanting to listen to the rest of this conversation.

“Akechi,” you quietly said instead, and he looked up immediately at your voice, “can you come to my office really quick?” You decided to ask before he could slip out of your grip again. 

He gave you a confused look, but agreed, “Sure?” You caught Mitsuru, who was standing beside him, shoot you a smug look, and you pointedly narrowed your eyes at her. On the walk to the fourth floor, Akechi waited until you both left the conference room to ask, “What do you need?”

“It’s a surprise,” you trilled, and he blinked. “Are you doing anything for Valentine’s Day?” You already knew the answer according to Mitsuru’s supposed insight, but it seemed to be the topic of the day so you asked, anyway.

“Yes.” He opened the door to the elevators for you. 

You looked at him, wide-eyed. “‘Yes’?”

Akechi didn’t bat an eye. “I confessed my love for another third-year with the most beautiful eyes and we’re meeting tonight after my shift for a romantic dinner,” he said, but his grin seemed to grow with each word he said and you quickly squinted at him.

“You’re horrible at lying when you’re not trying,” you mumbled, but he laughed. 

“The truth is, I don’t have any plans. Although, I’m somewhat scared to look at my locker at school tomorrow,” he said, seeming to shiver. 

You were grinning now. “Ha. That’s what you get for being attractive. Make sure no one slipped a love potion into your locker.”

“Are you jealous?” Akechi chirped, smiling at you like the arrogant boy he was. 

“Absolutely not. That sounds like hell.” 

He questioned, “Do you have any plans?”

You shook your head and made eye contact with him. “None besides finishing an essay and laying in bed.”

Some curiosity shone on his face. “You don’t have a valentine?” Didn’t you just have this conversation?

Your grin grew. “Nope, just a lot of love for my friends. I don’t really think about Valentine’s Day.”

“I’d have to agree. It’s tiring to listen to people talk about it, though – and tiring to deal with the confessions…”

“Boo-hoo,” you mocked, but beamed when he glared at you. “I’m happy with just my friends. And speaking of…” 

You whipped your key out of your pocket and unlocked your office door, hurriedly setting your things down and searching your bag. 

Akechi hesitantly stepped closer and watched you pull something from your bag. His eyes traced over the small gift bag, but he didn’t seem to understand until you held it out to him. 

“I make valentines for my friends every year. I figured you would want a valentine that isn’t potentially poisoned by your fangirls,” you explained upon his disconcerted expression. Akechi carefully took the bag like it would shatter if he touched it, and your fingers brushed his gloved ones. 

You stood there anxiously as he peered into the mostly-transparent bag, but you didn’t let the smile leave your face. 

He looked at you, and then glanced at the bag before returning his gaze to yours. “(L/N)… You didn’t have to.”

 _“No-no-no-no_ – I wanted to,” you said, the same excuse you had been giving people all day. “You’re my friend, so you’re on the valentine-treat-bag subscription list.” Akechi cautiously undid the paper twist ties, setting the bag on your desk so he could look at the goodies inside. You fretted as he examined it, “I didn’t know what your favorite candy is– so I just threw in a little bit of everything. I hope you’re not allergic to anything.”

“No, it’s–” He smiled, albeit hesitantly as if he still didn’t believe it was real; the same reaction Sae had given you earlier. “It’s great, thank you.” 

His eyes hooked onto the cookies you had placed in a protective baggie, and you laughed as he pulled them out and observed them with a sparkle in his eye. 

“I made those cookies when I was supposed to be studying – you better enjoy them.”

Behind the child-like joy, Akechi’s eyes flashed with surprise. “I didn’t know you knew how to bake,” he commented. 

“Well, not really, but I know a few recipes,” you hummed, smiling as you rocked on your feet. “I kinda had to force myself to learn; no one else is gonna teach me how to cook, and I don’t really want to go the rest of my life not knowing.” 

Akechi seemed intrigued at that, but he didn’t say any more. He placed the cookies back into the bag despite looking like he wanted to eat them now, attentively tying the bag closed. "I was getting a little scared on the walk here because I thought you were about to confess to me.”

You dramatically rubbed your chin, "Who said I wasn't?"

He was chuckling at your comment as he said, “Really, thank you, (L/N). I didn’t expect this at all."

You fidgeted. “You can call me (F/N), you know. I don’t mind.”

He stared at you, and you watched several emotions flicker in his face as you awaited his response. He was like a wheel of fortune sometimes; you weren’t sure which reaction you would receive from him until the second he was responding, so all you could do was stand and wait.

Eventually, he said, quietly, “Okay, I can do that.”

Your eyes lit up, and you cupped your hands together in front of you excitedly. “Does this mean I can call you Goro-kun?” you enthused. His eye twitched a bit when you said his first name, and you expected him to tell you not to even though his face quickly returned to normal afterward. 

“…I suppose that’s okay,” Akechi finally answered, and you cupped a hand over your mouth to prevent yourself from squealing. 

“Really?” you asked, worried that he was only saying that to appease you.

He gave you a small smile, his shoulders relaxing a little. “Yes, I don’t mind.”


End file.
